USA – Danone has made a decision to relocate part of the production of its YoPro high-protein drinkable yogurts to its plant in Bucharest, Romania.
The move, as confirmed by the company, was undertaken “as a matter of efficiency.” The Tetra Pak format of the YoPro drinks is now being manufactured in Romania, catering to central and eastern European markets, including Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Despite this shift, other products in the YoPro range, such as the protein yogurt pots and drinkable yogurts in recyclable plastic bottles, will continue to be produced in Danone’s facilities in Aldaya, Spain, and Bierun, Poland.
The Bucharest facility, which is Danone’s only production site in Romania, currently focuses exclusively on dairy products. Sixty percent of the output from this factory is sold domestically in Romania, while the remaining 30% is exported to 14 European countries.
The factory employs approximately 150 people and has an annual production capacity of between 56,000 and 65,000 tonnes. In total, around 400 employees work for Danone in Romania.
Danone to remove Nutri-Score label, expands C-Section milk formula
In addition to its production shift, Danone recently announced its plans to remove the Nutri-Score label from its dairy and plant-based drinks sold in Europe.
The Nutri-Score system, introduced in France in 2017, is a color-coded nutritional label designed to help consumers make healthier food choices.
It rates products on a scale from A to E, with “A” being the healthiest option. Danone was one of the first companies to voluntarily adopt Nutri-Score on its products in countries like France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany.
However, Danone expressed dissatisfaction with recent changes to the Nutri-Score system, specifically how dairy beverages are now categorized alongside soft drinks.
As a result, the company decided to phase out the label from its products. Nutri-Score has faced criticism from several European countries, notably Italy, which has argued that the system could mislead consumers about the nutritional value of certain foods.
In a separate development, Danone is expanding its specialized milk formula designed for children born via C-section into more Southeast Asian (SEA) markets, with the most recent launch occurring in Malaysia.
The product, Aptamil KID C-SynB, is aimed at maintaining a diverse microbiota, or good bacteria, in the gut, as research has shown that gut dysbiosis (an imbalanced gut environment) is common in children born via C-section. Dysbiosis can impact digestion, immune function, and overall health.
Aptamil KID C-SynB contains Synbio+, a combination of the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve M-16V and the prebiotics galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and long-chain fructooligosaccharides (lcFOS) in a ratio of nine to one.
The product is intended for children aged one year and above. In Malaysia, it has been available both online and in physical retail stores since June, priced at RM68 (US$14) for a 600g pack. Other SEA markets, such as Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia, are already selling the product.
According to Angie Low, Southeast Asia’s health innovation medical affairs and market access director at Danone, studies indicate that children delivered via C-section are at a higher risk of developing asthma, infections, and obesity.
This product aims to address these concerns by promoting gut health through the inclusion of specific probiotics and prebiotics tailored to support children born via C-section.
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