Sector News

EU Commission clears Danone to buy WhiteWave subject to conditions

December 20, 2016
Consumer Packaged Goods

The European Commission on Friday cleared France’s Danone to proceed with its $10.4 billion purchase of U.S. organic food producer WhiteWave, subject to it selling a business in Belgium.

Danone will sell a large part of its “growing-up milk” business in Belgium, as the Commission said only Nestle would have remained as a competitor in the country otherwise.

“The Commission had concerns that the merged entity would not have faced sufficient competitive pressure from the remaining player in this market,” the Commission, which enforces competition rules in the European Union, said in a statement.

The purchase of WhiteWave, Danone’s largest acquisition since 2007, will help it pursue affluent consumers by adding WhiteWave’s popular health food offerings such as Silk almond milk and Earthbound Farm organic salad.

By Robert-Jan Bartunek

Source: Reuters

comments closed

Related News

March 24, 2024

Aldi’s new flat and stackable wine bottles “make light work of heavy shopping baskets”

Consumer Packaged Goods

Collaborating with Packamama, Aldi has rolled out the “UK’s first” supermarket own-brand flat wine bottles within its Chapter & Verse label. The recyclable ergonomic packaging concept is made from 100% recycled PET (rPET) and available for shiraz and chardonnay options.

March 24, 2024

Health, sustainability, and a taste for adventure drive snacking behaviors: Mondelēz State of Snacking report

Consumer Packaged Goods

For the fifth year in a row, global consumers expressed a preference for snacking over traditional meals, with six in 10 consumers saying they’d rather eat several small meals throughout the day than a few large ones, according to the fifth annual State of Snacking report from Mondelēz International. Nearly nine in 10 (88%) consumers snack daily.

March 24, 2024

Shareholders challenge Nestlé to increase sales of healthy foods

Consumer Packaged Goods

The shareholders are urging Nestlé to set a target to boost the proportion of its sales from healthier products amid concerns regarding regulatory, reputational and legal risks faced by the company, as well as the public health implications “associated with an over-reliance on less healthy foods”.

How can we help you?

We're easy to reach