Arla Foods UK has entered into an agreement with a management buy-out team led by two former Milk Link executives to sell its Devon-based milk drinks business, Crediton Dairy.
Dairy Crest is “well placed” for growth in the UK through internal investment or acquisitions following the 2012 disposal of its French spreads business, St Hubert, according to the company's CEO Mark Allen.
Dannon has begun targeting “fitness-minded men” with its Oikos Greek yogurt brand, and is “exploring the possibility” of marketing its Greek yogurt portfolio to men in the long-term.
German dairy giant, DMK Deutsches Milchkontor, has expanded its private label portfolio to exploit the “large potential” for low-lactose and lactose-free UHT milk products.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has slapped a ban on the broadcast of a Yakult TV advert, ruling that the ad implied there was a health advantage to drinking the product, without using a relevant, authorised health claim.
Swiss dairy processor, Emmi, has launched a range of reduced-fat, high-protein, lactose-free dairy products – a development it has attributed to increasing consumer demand for “wellbeing dairy” over functional products.
Italian dairy giant Parmalat has requested a $144m (€110m) reduction in the price it paid to acquire its sister unit, Lactalis American Group (LAG), from Lactalis in May 2012.
Dairy giant Arla Foods has acquired the remaining stake of the joint venture that controls its activities in Russia – a move the company claims “cements” its ambitions in the country.
According to a recent market report, more than half of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in 2012 involved food-based companies.
US dairy giant Dean Foods has approved the spin-off of a portion of its remaining stake in The WhiteWave Foods Company to its shareholders – a move that will leave the Dallas-based dairy processor with a minority stake in the company.
Dannon has launched a Greek yogurt variation of its popular probiotic-enriched Activia yogurt brand in the US – a combination the company has branded a “powerhouse.”
Saputo has confirmed that it is in talks with Dairy Partners in regards to the sale of its cheese manufacturing facility in Newcastle Emlyn, which was earmarked for closure earlier this year.
An Abbott Laboratories shareholder proposal to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from its natural products - including its Similac infant formula range - has been rejected, the company has revealed.
Yakult and its largest shareholder, Danone, have scrapped their nine-year old “strategic alliance” in favour of a new, looser agreement to further their “collaborative relationship.”
French private equity firm, PAI Partners, has entered into an agreement to acquire Europe’s largest private label ice cream manufacturer, R&R Ice Cream, for an undisclosed sum.
2013 has been an eventful year for the dairy industry, and we’re only four months in. The top five most popular stories of the year so far take the reader right across the sector – from US consumer opposition to a dairy industry petition, to UK restrictions...
Italian dairy processor, Parmalat, has been forced to withdraw its 2012 full-year financial report after a court in Rome annulled its acquisition of Italian fresh milk company, Central del Latte di Roma.
China Modern Dairy has played down rumours of a takeover by “a third party” – assumed to be Mengniu – but has confirmed that talks are ongoing with the unnamed company in regards to the “possible disposal of certain assets.”
Arla Foods UK has moved to increase its share of the rapidly growing dairy drinks category with the launch of two new products – Wing-Co protein-enriched chocolate milk, and GULP milk shakes for children.
French dairy giant, Lactalis, is on the verge of acquiring Saputo’s soon-to-close cheese manufacturing facility in Heiden, Germany for an undisclosed price.
A2 Corporation (A2C) – the New Zealand-based manufacturer of a2 fresh milk – has commenced packing of its new a2 Platinum infant formula range, and hopes to make its first shipment to formula-hungry China next month.
Pharmaceuticals supplier, Aspen, has entered into an agreement with Nestlé to acquire the licences to sell the firm’s recently-purchased Pfizer infant nutrition brand portfolio in Australia and several Southern African countries.
Mexican anti-trust officials have approved Nestlé’s $11.85bn (€9bn) acquisition of Pfizer Nutrition on the condition that the Swiss firm sells off the acquired infant formula business to an independent third party.
US dairy giant Dean Foods plans to “accelerate” its existing cost reduction efforts in 2013 in an attempt to minimise the impact of an anticipated decline in private label milk volumes.
FrieslandCampina has been given the go-ahead to complete its acquisition of Dutch specialist cheese manufacturer, Zijerveld, and its packing business - but only under conditions designed to ensure competition in the country’s market for semi-hard goat...
The Irish Dairy Board (IDB) has reported turnover exceeding €2bn for 2012 on the back of a strong performance by its Consumer Foods business – most notably its Kerrygold butter brand.
New York-based Chobani was handed an injunction last month prohibiting its use of the term ‘Greek yogurt’ in the UK following a court battle with rival, Fage, which claims that the term refers to geographical origin. But can Athens-based Fage stand by...
French dairy giant Danone has called on British retailers to limit the sale of infant formula to two units per customer, in an attempt to curb “unofficial exports” of Western-manufactured milk powder to China.
Record sales and a 97% control of the kefir category are only the start for Lifeway Foods, as the company states it’s ‘in the early stages of its long-term growth trajectory’.
Australian dairy cooperative, Murray Goulburn, has announced plans to spend A$19.1m ($19.9m, €15.4m) on the update and expansion of its Leongatha UHT milk manufacturing plant in an attempt to meet “immediate” export demand.
The 20-year re-branding period imposed on Nestlé’s newly-acquired Pfizer Nutrition infant formula brands in South Africa will create a “viable competitor” to Nestlé in the long term, the country's Competition Tribunal has claimed.
Swiss firm Eurolactis has set its sights on making highly-nutritious donkey milk more accessible to consumers around the world through the launch of a Tetra Pak-contained UHT version.
Chinese dairy processor, Yashili International, has been given the go-ahead by authorities in New Zealand to build a NZ$100m infant formula manufacturing plant in the country.
The civil investigation into Parmalat’s May 2012 $904m intra-group acquisition of Lactalis American Group (LAG) has appointed a special commissioner to oversee an audit calculating a final price for the disputed deal.
Should it be given the go-ahead, a new trial in New South Wales’ Manning Valley will see a supermarket dealing directly with dairy farmers for the first time ever in Australia.
Chinese dairy giant Mengniu has reported a drop in both revenue and profits for 2012 – a result it has attributed to continuing consumer concern about the quality and safety of domestically-manufactured dairy products.
German dairy giant Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH (DMK) has been given the regulatory go-ahead to complete its acquisition of rival German private-label ice cream manufacturer, Roseneis.
Food and drink production in the EU remained flat in the fourth quarter of last year as some raw materials became costlier, according to data from FoodDrinkEurope.
US Greek yogurt giant Chobani has been issued with a permanent injunction by the UK High Court that prevents its use of the term ‘Greek yogurt’ to market its yogurt range in England and Wales.
Fonterra has reported an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) increase of more than 25% for the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2013 – a result it has attributed to sales volume growth from its NZ Milk Products business, Asia, and Latin America.
Following a highly successful inaugural summit last week, organisers William Reed Business Media have confirmed that Food Vision will become an annual event, returning to Cannes, France, in March 2014.
US dairy giant Dean Foods has announced plans to close its Oak Farms processing plant in Shreveport, Louisiana later this year – citing the pressures of operating in a “highly competitive marketplace.”
British dairy nutritionals manufacturer, Volac, has launched a low-fat, high-protein dairy drink called Upbeat in the UK - a move that marks the company's entry into the consumer market for dairy beverages.
Dean Foods has launched a high-protein, long-life version of its popular TruMoo flavoured milk range in an attempt to meet increasing US consumer demand for protein-enriched beverages.
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has agreed to pay $46m to settle a lawsuit that alleged it manipulated trading at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in an effort to drive up dairy product prices in the US.
