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Credit: General Mills

Blue Buffalo owner General Mills has snapped up European pet food business Edgard & Cooper. Founded in 2016, Edgard & Cooper’s produces a range of meat, fish and plant-based cat and dog food, snacks and dental care treats, all said to be made with fresh, natural ingredients. Headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, the group booked around €100m ($107m) in retail sales for 2023. The business sells to 23 countries in Europe besides Belgium through specialist retailers and online. 

Canada’s McCain Foods, the French fries giant, has acquired Irish plant-based frozen-food company Strong Roots. The deal, struck for an undisclosed sum, builds on a deal announced in 2021 that saw McCain buy a minority stake in the business. Strong Roots, founded in 2015 in Dublin by CEO Samuel Dennigan, has a product range including Cauliflower Hash Browns and Mixed Root Vegetable Fries. Its products are sold in markets including Ireland, the UK, and the US.

Belgian bakery business Vandemoortele has bought Italy-based Dolciaria Acquaviva from its private-equity owners and family shareholders. Vandemoortele will take a majority interest in the frozen baked-goods supplier from the pan-Europe-focused investor Apheon and the rest from the Acquaviva family. Dolciaria Acquaviva had a turnover of €120m in 2023 and employs more than 200 staff. Vandemoortele generated revenue in 2023 of €1.93bn, up 11% on the previous 12 months.

HKScan is to sell its Danish unit to Netherlands poultry company Plukon Food Group. The transaction, valued at €44.6m, is the latest disposal to be made by Finland-based HKScan – and another acquisition to be carried out by Plukon in recent months. HKScan revealed in March it was considering offloading its Denmark arm after agreeing to sell its Swedish business earlier this year. The deal for HKScan’s Danish unit would be the fifth purchase Plukon has made in the last year.