Global agribusiness giant Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has completed its acquisition of German chemical and biotech company BASF’s food and health performance ingredients business.
Global agribusiness giant Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has completed its acquisition of German chemical and biotech company BASF’s food and health performance ingredients business.
The food and health performance ingredients business was previously part of BASF’s Nutrition & Health division.
First announced last December, the transaction included BASF’s production site in Illertissen, Germany, and three application labs outside of Germany, the companies said in a joint statement on 30 September.
Business activities included in the transaction included: food performance ingredients, such as whipping agents, emulsifiers and fat powders; health ingredients, including plant sterol esters, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 oils for human nutrition, and some smaller product lines.
Through the acquisition, BASF aimed to sharpen its portfolio and support growth in prioritised market segments in Nutrition & Health, while LDC expanded its participation in the rapidly growing plant-based ingredients market, the statement said.
“By focusing on vitamins and carotenoids, we are reinforcing our strategic direction toward … nutrition ingredients for both human and animal nutrition,” said Daniela Calleri, BASF senior vice president, Nutrition Ingredients.
LDC’s chief commercial officer and head of Food & Feed Solutions James Zhou said the move was a “significant milestone” in LDC’s growth in the plant-based ingredients sector.
Both parties did not disclose financial details of the transaction.
