Arla Foods UK

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Arla Foods Ltd.
Arla UK
Company type Subsidiary
Founded2003;21 years ago (2003) [1]
Headquarters,
United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom
Products Dairy productsLurpak, Cravendale, Lactofree
RevenueIncrease2.svg £2,620 million (2018) [2]
Number of employees
3,460 [2]
Parent Arla Foods
Website www.arlafoods.co.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Arla Foods Ltd. is a major dairy products company in the United Kingdom, based in Leeds, and a subsidiary of Arla Foods, which is owned by its farmer owners in seven countries including the UK.

Contents

History

The company was created by the merger in 1980 of the British dairy group Express Dairies and the British subsidiary of Arla Foods, a Swedish-Danish dairy production co operative, jointly owned by Swedish and Danish farmers. The parent company, Arla Foods Amba, initially held a 51% stake, but acquired the rest of the company's shares in April 2007. [3]

In Britain, Arla supplies milk to retailers and produces many household brands, such as Lurpak, Anchor Butter, Cravendale, Lactofree and Castello.

According to the BBC, in August 2015, farmers were paid less per pint of milk by Arla than by supermarkets that buy directly. [4] [5]

In August 2021, people acting on behalf of Animal Rebellion blockaded Arla's dairy facility in Aylesbury citing the large climate and ecological burden of dairy production when compared to plant based alternatives. [6] The same site was again blockaded in September 2022. [7]

In November 2024, Arla, and Müller became subject to a boycott by some consumers, after they announced that they would add Bovaer (3-Nitrooxypropanol) to the cattle feed of some of their cows as a trial to reduce methane emissions. The boycott, according to Arla, and The Grocer , is down to misinformation over the safety of Bovaer and its claimed links to Bill Gates, which has been misattributed to different company in the same industry which Bill Gates has invested into. [8] In response to the announcement, the Soil Association said that 3-Nitrooxypropanol would not be classed as an organic ingredient. [9]

Products

Arla is the largest supplier of fresh milk and cream in the United Kingdom, producing over 2.2 billion litres of milk per year. It produces two premium milk brands: Cravendale filtered milk, which undergoes a filtration process to remove bacteria before pasteurization; and Lactofree milk, from which lactose is removed, making it suitable for most lactose intolerant people. Following the success of Lactofree milk, Arla introduced a range of lactose-free products, including cheese and yoghurt.

As well as fresh milk, Arla produces the Anchor butter brand in the United Kingdom and Lurpak is produced by its Danish farmers. This was not widely publicised by the company, even though the brands had been established over decades as brands for butter imported from Denmark and New Zealand respectively. Other products include fromage frais, yoghurts and the blue cheeses Rosenborg and Danish Blue. The firm also produces fruit juice.

Locations

The company has processing plants in England at Palmers Green (London), Stourton (Leeds), Settle (North Yorkshire) and Malpas (Cheshire), and in Scotland at Lockerbie. In January 2009, Arla ceased production at its dairy in Manchester. [10] The company also operates the world's largest milk processing plant in Aylesbury, which was opened on 24 May 2014. [11]

Arla Foods obtained the Westbury Dairies plant in January 2016, [12] in Westbury, Wiltshire, which has become a site for the production of Anchor butter. [13]

Arla Foods briefly operated the Milk Link dairy in Crediton, Devon following the merger with Milk Link in 2012. However was sold in a management buyout in April 2013 with the Crediton operations being renamed as Crediton Dairy Limited.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy product</span> Food product made from milk

Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as yogurt, cheese, milk and butter. A facility that produces dairy products is a dairy. Dairy products are consumed worldwide to varying degrees. Some people avoid some or all dairy products because of lactose intolerance, veganism, environmental concerns, other health reasons or beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy</span> Place where milk is stored and where butter and cheese are made or sold

A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also describe a dairy farm or the part of a mixed farm dedicated to milk for human consumption, whether from cows, buffaloes, goats, yaks, sheep, horses or camels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogurt</span> Food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk

Yogurt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and characteristic tart flavor. Cow's milk is most commonly used to make yogurt. Milk from water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels, and yaks is also used to produce yogurt. The milk used may be homogenized or not. It may be pasteurized or raw. Each type of milk produces substantially different results.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arla Foods</span> Danish-Swedish food company

Arla Foods Group is a Danish-Swedish multinational co-operative based in Viby, Denmark. It is the fifth biggest dairy company in the world and the largest producer of dairy products in Scandinavia and United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fonterra</span> New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational publicly traded dairy co-operative owned by New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ $22 billion, making it New Zealand's largest company. It is the sixth-largest dairy company in the world as of 2022, as well as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anchor (brand)</span> Brand of dairy products

Anchor is a brand of dairy products that was founded in New Zealand in 1886, and is one of the key brands owned by the New Zealand–based international exporter Fonterra Co-operative Group. In Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, Fonterra uses the Fernleaf brand instead of Anchor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napolact</span>

Napolact is the main Romanian brand which belongs to the Dutch company FrieslandCampina and it’s one of the biggest dairy producers in Romania. It owns three production facilities in Cluj (Baciu), Târgu Mureș and Țaga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant milk</span> Milk-like drink made from plant-based ingredients

Plant milk is a category of non-dairy beverages made from a water-based plant extract for flavoring and aroma. Nut milk is a subcategory made from nuts. Plant-based milks are consumed as alternatives to dairy milk and provide similar qualities, such as a creamy mouthfeel, as well as a bland or palatable taste. Many are sweetened or flavored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk substitute</span> Alternative substance that resembles milk

A milk substitute is any substance that resembles milk and can be used in the same ways as milk. Such substances may be variously known as non-dairy beverage, nut milk, grain milk, legume milk, mock milk and alternative milk.

Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. is a Dutch multinational dairy cooperative which is based in Amersfoort, Netherlands. It is the result of a merger between Friesland Foods and Campina on 30 December 2008. The European Commission approved the merger on 17 December 2008, on the condition that the new company divest some activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lurpak</span> Danish butter brand

Lurpak is a Danish brand of butter owned by Arla Foods. It is sold in over 75 countries worldwide, and is known for its distinctive silver packaging. Lurpak came into existence in October 1901 after a constellation of several Danish dairy farmers decided to create and register a common brand and mark for butter to increase sales. Its logo is based on the lur, an ancient instrument once used in Scandinavia.

Bega Dairy & Drinks is a subsidiary of Australian diversified food company the Bega Group, having been purchased from the Japanese company Kirin in November 2020. While owned by Kirin, it was known as Lion Dairy & Drinks.

Yeo Valley is a British dairy company that was founded in 1994. The headquarters are in Somerset, United Kingdom. The Yeo Valley corporation is owned by the Mead family. In 2020, Yeo Valley Organic was the 48th biggest grocery brand in the United Kingdom and the third largest yogurt brand in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strained yogurt</span> Yogurt thickened by draining whey

Strained yogurt, Greek or Greek-style yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, kerned yogurt or labneh is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive sour taste of yogurt. Like many types, strained yogurt is often made from milk enriched by boiling off some water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk. In Europe and North America, it is often made from low-fat or fat-free cow's milk. In Iceland a similar product named skyr is made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel's Organic</span> UK organic dairy business

Rachel's is an organic dairy products company based in Aberystwyth, Wales. Founded by local farmers but now a subsidiary of French company Lactalis, it was the United Kingdom's first certified organic dairy.

Lactofree is a brand of lactose free dairy products, which is aimed at individuals with lactose intolerance. The brand was launched by Arla Foods UK in January 2006, and is available in the United Kingdom. Lactofree began licensing its lactose removing patent to other producers, in September 2010. Up to September 2010, Lactofree had seen growth by 37% year on year. As of July 2021, Lactofree is worth 70.8% of the UK’s lactose free milk market.

Milk Link was a large dairy company in the United Kingdom. It was the UK's largest dairy cooperative and the UK's largest producer of cheese. In 2012 the company merged with Arla Foods.

First Milk is a dairy co-operative in Britain which manufactures cheese, specialist dairy ingredients and whey proteins for its customers, as well as providing traceable fresh milk to a range of dairy manufacturers and food processors. As a dairy co-operative, owned and run by farmers; the area covered by its milk pool runs from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland down through England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3-Nitrooxypropanol</span> Chemical compound

3-Nitrooxypropanol (abbreviated as 3-NOP or 3NOP), commonly known by its commercial name Bovaer, is an organic compound with the formula HOCH2CH2CH2ONO2. It is the mononitrate ester of 1,3-propanediol and acts as an enzyme inhibitor that specifically targets methyl coenzyme M reductase (MCR), the enzyme that catalyzes the final step of methanogenesis in the digestive system of ruminants, such as cows and sheep.

References

  1. "Companies house report" . Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Companies house report" . Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  3. "Arla Foods amba acquires full ownership of UK subsidiary" (Press release). Arla Foods UK. 5 April 2007. Archived from the original on 16 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2008.
  4. Gregory-Kumar, David (18 August 2015). "Where should you buy a pint of milk?". BBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  5. "Do farmers really make a loss on milk?". BBC News. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  6. "Animal Rebellion protesters blockade Arla dairy". The Independent. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  7. "Animal Rebellion activists stop milk supply in parts of England". The Guardian. 4 September 2022.
  8. White, Kevin (28 November 2024). "Arla says boycott calls over methane-cutting feed additive based on 'misinformation'". The Grocer. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  9. https://x.com/SoilAssociation/status/1862448002494873730 Soil Association's official Twitter Account dated 29 November 2024 "This has led us to receive a large number of questions about whether this feed additive would be permitted in organic. It would not. Soil Association organic standards stipulate that all ingredients/components of a feed additive must be actively approved for use and be deemed safe and nutritionally useful for the animal. The main components that make up Bovaer are not included in the list of approved products/compounds and as a result, Bovaer would not be permitted under organic standards and for use in organic farming. Arla buys milk from many different farms and they supply both organic and non-organic milk. Any organic milk they supply must meet organic regulation requirements and the production has to be completely separate from any non-organic milk. This must be demonstrated and independently audited every year."
  10. "Dairy closure will cost up to 300 jobs". Manchester Evening News. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  11. "Arla officially opens worlds largest liquid milk plant". 28 May 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  12. "Arla and First Milk confirm future of Westbury Dairies". www.arlafoods.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  13. "Arla Foods launches new Anchor Spreadable campaign". www.arlafoods.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.