Page 86 - Ameft Journal 2021-III

Gerber commits to carbon neutrality for US products Gerber has become the first U.S. baby food company to announce its com- th mitmenttocarbonneutralfoodproductson15 July2021.100%ofGer- ber‘s U.S. Organic portfolio and Natural pouches and glass jars are set to be carbon neutral in 2022. The company is also committed to carbon neutrality across its full U.S. baby food portfolio by 2035. Gerber will reach carbon neutrality by implementing practices across sev- eral priority areas: regenerative agriculture, packaging, manufacturing and supply chain management, and recipe design, and by investing in high quality offsetting projects. The carbon neutral pledge is part of Gerber‘s‚ Climate Forward Nutrition‘ ambition to pioneer on-farm research and invest in regenerative agriculture techniques to ensure the ingredients for nutritious food for babies are pro- duced in a way that increases biodiversity and soil health and reduces water usage. Nestlé is building on a decade of action and has committed to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. MARKET & NEWS (Source: Yalehealth from Pixabay) (Source: Gerber) Nestlé expands its health and nutrition portfolio Nestlé and KKR entered into an agreement in April 2021 where Nestlé acquired core brands of The Bountiful Company for USD 5.75 bil- lion. The Bountiful Company is the number one pure-play leader in the highly attractive and growing global nutrition and supplement category. The transaction includes the high- growth brands Nature‘s Bounty®, Solgar®, Osteo Bi-Flex® and Puritan’s Pride® as well as the company‘s US private label business. These brands will be integrated into Nestlé Health Science, creating a global leader in vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements. The Bountiful Com- pany‘s sports and active nutrition brands Pure Protein®, Body Fortress® and MET-Rx®, as well as Dr.Organic® and the Canadian over-the-counter (OTC) business, which do not comple- ment the Nestlé Health Science port- folio, are not included in the deal. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2021, following the completion of customary closing conditions, including regulatory clear- ance. Nestlé Health Science CEO Greg Be- har says “Vitamins and supplements are a key part of our business and have contributed to strong growth accel- eration. This acquisition complements our existing health and nutrition port- folio in terms of brands and channels. 86 AMEFT 3 2021 It will establish Nestlé Health Science as the industry leader in mass re- tail, specialty retail, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer in the US, while offering significant opportunities for geographic growth.” Meanwhile, Paul Sturman, President and CEO, The Bountiful Company said, “As a leader in global nutrition, we take seriously our responsibility and role in consum- ers’ health and wellness. We‘re incred- ibly proud of the trusted brands we‘ve built and are confident that they will be strong assets for Nestlé.” Nestlé Health Science‘s current vi- tamins, minerals and supplements brands include Garden of Life®, Vi- tal Proteins®, Pure Encapsulations®, Wobenzym®, Douglas Laboratories®, Persona Nutrition®, Genestra®, Or- thica®, Minami®, AOV® and Klean Ath- lete®. By combining the The Bountiful Company‘s core assets together with Nestlé‘s leading science and innova- tion in health and nutrition, Nestlé is well placed to accelerate benefits in prevention and treatment solutions to consumers across the world. www.ameft.com