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French farmers fear for dairy herd as Lactalis cuts milk purchases

Paris | Reuters – Lactalis, the world’s largest dairy company, is to reduce the volume of milk it processes in France, a move it said is aimed at reducing its exposure to international commodity prices but which caused alarm among farmers about a declining dairy herd. Lactalis plans to cut the amount of milk it […] Read more

File photo of soy-based milk alternatives. (SherSor/iStock/Getty Images)

Lactalis to shift from milk to near-milk at Sudbury

Facility to halt fluid milk processing, switch to plant-based product lines

The processor of the Beatrice and Lactantia milk brands plans to put its fluid milk processing plant in northern Ontario over to plant-based dairy substitutes. The Canadian arm of France’s Lactalis said Wednesday it will stop fluid milk processing and packaging at its plant at Sudbury effective Sept. 30 and convert that plant to a […] Read more

(CNW Group/Ultima Foods)

Lactalis to buy Agropur’s yogurt business

Deal to include two processing plants, major yogurt brands

Canadian dairy co-operative Agropur has reached a deal to sell its yogurt processing business and plants to the Canadian arm of French dairy giant Groupe Lactalis. The deal, as announced Thursday, will include Agropur’s plants at Granby, Que. and Delta, B.C. plus the operations at a distribution centre it leases at Longueuil, Que. Financial terms […] Read more

Kraft’s Canadian grated cheese lines are among the businesses going to Lactalis for US$3.2 billion. (KraftWhatsCooking.ca)

Kraft Heinz to sell several cheese businesses to Lactalis

Canadian grated cheese lines among assets going for US$3.2 billion

Chicago | Reuters — Kraft Heinz said on Tuesday that it will sell several of its cheese businesses to a U.S. affiliate of France’s Groupe Lactalis for US$3.2 billion. After weak sales results and several billion-dollar writedowns over the past two years, there has been market speculation about which categories Kraft Heinz will offload from […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Lactalis still short in bid to delist Parmalat

Milan | Reuters — France’s Lactalis has not secured the 90 per cent stake in Parmalat it needed to press ahead with plans to delist the Italian food company, a filing showed Tuesday. On the last day of an extended bid on shares it did not already own, the French dairy group reached an overall […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Lactalis short of threshold to delist Parmalat

Milan | Reuters — France’s Lactalis failed to reach the 90 per cent stake in Parmalat it required to proceed to delist the Italian food company in the last day of a buyout offer, a filing by the Milan bourse showed Tuesday. Lactalis, the world’s largest dairy firm, bought 15.11 per cent of the shares […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Lactalis offer for Italy’s Parmalat seen too low

Milan | Reuters — Parmalat activist investor Amber Capital believes the price of a buyout offer by France’s Lactalis undervalues the Italian dairy group and won’t be tendering its three per cent stake. Lactalis, which won control of Parmalat in 2011 amid failed efforts in Italy to mount a domestic counter bid, has launched an […] Read more