Business briefs – Arla Foods – Kerry – Ardent Mills – Once Upon a Farm – Georgetown University

Arla signs contract with Northern Irish whey protein supplier

Arla Foods has signed a contract with leading dairy company Dale Farm to supply whey protein concentrate for Arla’s global ingredients business. This is the first time the two dairy cooperatives have partnered as part of a major supply contract.

Dale Farm is headquartered in Northern Ireland and will supply Arla Foods Ingredients, headquartered in Denmark with whey protein concentrate that will be used as an ingredient in infant formula and consumer health ingredients. Dale Farm has until now mainly supplied whey protein for use in sports nutrition products, so this contract repositions this aspect of its business within the infant formula market.

“The two companies share a common vision of how to develop high quality ingredients for the global markets and for Arla, making it a significant next step in our growing ingredients business,” said Povl Friis, supply chain senior vice president, Arla Foods Ingredients

Kerry to sell meat, meal business to Pilgrim’s Pride

Kerry Group plc signed an agreement to sell its Consumer Foods’ Meats and Meals business in the U.K. and Ireland to Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. for approximately US$977 million in cash.

The Meats business is a leading manufacturer of branded and private label meats, meat snacks, food-to-go and meat-free products in the U.K. and Ireland. Its brands include Richmond, Denny, Galtee, Fridge Raiders and Rollover. The Meals business primarily serves the U.K. market and specializes in authentic ethnic chilled and frozen ready meals, multi-cuisine ready to cook ranges, and home delivery meals under the Oakhouse brand.

Ardent Mills advances regenerative agriculture program

Ardent Mills, in partnership with Nutrien Ag Solutions, announced the advancement of its regenerative agriculture program to strengthen the soil ecosystem and help producers improve their farms’ productivity and profitability.

By the end of 2022, the company has committed to enrolling 250,000 acres of spring and winter wheat into its regenerative agriculture program with the goal of advancing regenerative agriculture practices and building the grower base over the next three years.

“Ardent Mills is dedicated to making a positive impact in our communities and sustainability initiatives are a critical component of that. Our own supply chain is a big area of opportunity,” said Phoenix Dugger, corporate social responsibility manager, Ardent Mills. “Ardent Mills’ regenerative ag program aims to improve farm profitability and productivity and create insights as to how these practices affect the crop itself. We’re excited to continue to grow this program and learn from farmers who are the ultimate stewards of the land.”

In cooperation with its producer partners and Nutrien Ag Solutions, Ardent Mills has built a regenerative agriculture program that aims to increase organic matter content and improve nutrient efficiency and water infiltration. The program uses key outcomes and provides side by side quality comparisons to comprehensively understand how regenerative agriculture affects the quality of wheat. The regenerative agriculture program currently operates across 12 projects in nine geographies in the U.S. and Canada, including Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Saskatchewan. The initiative helps serve Ardent Mills’ customers by providing valuable opportunities to meet their public sustainability goals and meet the needs of their consumers.

Once Upon a Farm acquires Raised Real

Once Upon a Farm has acquired Raised Real, a leading organic, plant-rich baby food meal delivery company, and all assets related to the company’s operations. The purchase of Raised Real will expand Once Upon a Farm’s growing organic, refrigerated pouch portfolio to now include frozen meal options, making it even easier for parents to choose and prepare nutritious meals and snacks for babies and toddlers.

“We’ve watched and admired Raised Real’s approach and products for over three years, and think they are a perfect fit for our portfolio as we continue to build our next generation kid nutrition company,” said John Foraker, co-founder and CEO, Once Upon a Farm. “They give us an important entrée into the frozen space where there is significant opportunity for baby & kid innovation, and to increase our scale and capabilities in direct-to-consumer, which is an important part of our growth strategy.”

As part of the acquisition, Once Upon a Farm will reintroduce the line of organic meals later this year. This flexible meal format is ideal for busy families looking to add variety and convenience to breakfast, lunch or dinner. The nutrient-rich meals can be pureed, mashed, served as finger foods, or used as complimentary sides for little ones. In addition to expanding into the fresh frozen food space, the company also changed from a Limited Liability Company to a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC).

Hank Cardello to lead new Georgetown McDonough leadership program

Business for Impact at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business is launching a new industry leadership initiative that will bring together food executives, non-profit leaders, government regulators, and the public health community to put teeth into advancing actionable, real world solutions.

This new program, Leadership Solutions for Health + Prosperity, will be led by Hank Cardello, former food executive at major corporations, Forbes contributor, author and media personality, who brings a reputation for identifying and architecting industry-driven solutions and commitments to challenging public health and social problems. The program will undertake executive forums to shape industry and stakeholder solutions to serious industry-related issues, such as obesity and the impact on climate; educational seminars on hot-button issues; groundbreaking research on changing consumer behaviors; and strategic planning with business and regulatory experts. Cardello also will serve as chair to expand the Portion Balance Coalition, a Business for Impact initiative of more than 35 companies, nonprofits, government agencies, and academics focused on addressing the obesity epidemic.