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Danone, a new leading player
Last update: April 2009
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The acquisition of Numico in 2007 positioned Danone as the European market leader for medical nutrition. The division generated sales of €0.9 billion in 2008. Medical nutrition products meet the needs of vulnerable people, often undergoing treatment or in convalescence, so they require very extensive research, continuous communication with healthcare and regulatory authorities and a special distribution system.
Long underdeveloped, the science of nutrition has now demonstrated that the sick and elderly have special nutritional needs that cannot be met by traditional adult diets. Medical nutrition has emerged as the most attractive segment in the food industry today. The division’s sales were up 12.8% in 2008, and its margin rose by 149 base points. All segments contributed to growth, with international brands Nutricia, Fortimel, Neocate and Nutrini leading the way. In 2008, the group expanded outside Europe, in Colombia and Mexico. These and other “new countries” (Brazil, China, Middle East) are among the main contributors to earnings.
