Lactalis closes all operations in Argentina

French dairy giant Lactalis has sold its final Argentinian facility to a local operator for an undisclosed sum.

A spokesperson told FoodBev: “This Argentinean site was part of a larger acquisition made in Mexico”.

The closure comes after Lactalis agreed to purchase Fonterra and Nestlé’s Brazilian joint venture, Dairy Partners America, for BRL 700 million (approx. $133 million), in December last year.

In September, Lactalis Canada introduced new speciality yogurt brand, Khaas, with vegetarian and Halal product lines, in a bid to become the “national leader in the ethnic yogurt category”.

In 2021, according to Rabobank’s annual Global Dairy Top 20, Lactalis overtook Nestlé as the largest dairy producer in the world and is the second-largest food producer in France, behind Danone.