NEWS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE June 2024 9 General Mills expands pet food portfolio General Mills announced that it completed the acquisition of Edgard & Cooper, one of Europe’s leading independent premium pet food brands. With this transaction, the company points out that it further advances its acceleration strategy, including the prioritization of its core markets, global platforms and local gem brands to drive sustainable, profitable growth and top-tier shareholder returns over the long term. “Edgard & Cooper is at the intersection of our accelerate strategy's core markets and global platforms," said Jon Nudi, Group President, Pet, International and North America Foodservice, General Mills. "We’re thrilled to welcome the Edgard & Cooper team to the General Mills family, and we look forward to partnering together to advance their mission to revolutionize premium, natural pet food.” Established in 2016, Edgard & Cooper is one of the fastest-growing and most-recognized independent pet food companies in Europe, with estimated 2023 retail sales of more than €100 million across 13 markets. With omnichannel distribution capabilities and a commitment to sustainability, the brand is delivering high-quality pet food to dogs and cats across Europe while reducing its impact on the planet. Headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, Edgard & Cooper will be a separate operating unit led by its three founders, Koen Bostoen, Louis Chalabi and Jürgen Degrande, with its financial results consolidated into General Mills’ international segment. Read more>> Portuguese companies introduce new petfood with insect protein The official launch of the new adult dog food product, happyOne Premium Insect Protein, developed in collaboration with pet food manufacturer petMaxi and the insect producer EntoGreen, was held at an event in Lisbon. EntoGreen's Founder and CEO, Daniel Murta, opened the session reflecting on the importance of developing innovative products for the national and international markets and announcing the characteristics of insect proteins that make it a unique and high-quality product to include in petfood. Dr Rui Fortunato, petMaxi's Technical Director, presented the advantages of this new petfood, namely the fact that it is hypoallergenic, with a single protein source, insects, being a high-quality product that is part of petMaxi's Premium range. The companies emphasizes that this product incorporates 25% insect protein and is characterised by being suitable for animals with sensitivities (itching, hair loss, among others) and allergic symptoms. This launch session was also special as it presents one of the first products resulting from the work carried out by the InsectERA Mobilising Agenda, funded under the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), a project that is expected to launch more than 100 new products, processes, and services by 2026. Although having a launch session in May, this product reached the Portuguese market in February, and can currently be found in more than 50 physical and online points of sale, including veterinary clinics and pet shops. Read more>>
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