WhiteWave Foods Acquires Earthbound Farm 2013

DENVER — CPG and beverage supplier WhiteWave Foods acquired organic produce supplier Earthbound Farm.

WhiteWave Foods purchased the company for $600 million.

“Earthbound Farm is an outstanding organization well known for innovation, freshness, organic stewardship and food safety. It is a natural extension of our business that reaffirms WhiteWave’s leadership in the organic foods and beverages industry in North America,” said Gregg Engles, chairman and chief executive officer of WhiteWave, in a statement.

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“Fresh foods are one of the most attractive, emerging trends in the food industry today and the market for organic products continues to grow steadily. With Horizon Organic and Earthbound Farm, WhiteWave will now provide the two most popular gateways for consumers to enter into the organic category — produce and dairy.”

Advocacy group The Cornucopia Institute released a statement criticizing the acquisition.

“This is the same company and management that, after buying “organic” soybeans from China, took over the Silk soymilk product line and converted it from 100% organic to virtually no certified organic products/sales volume — replacing organic with ‘natural’ products,” wrote Mark Kastel, The Cornucopia Institute’s codirector and senior farm policy analyst.

Read more: Organic Produce Surges, but Challenges Remain