The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved Arla Foods Ingredients’ acquisition of Volac’s Whey Nutrition business.
Financial terms of the potential deal were not disclosed.
The approval comes after an evaluation, following the acquisition agreement signed in April 2024.
Volac, based in the UK, specialises in turning whey into ingredients for sports nutrition. Its by-products are also sold for food and animal nutrition. The company’s main whey processing facility is in Felinfach, Wales.
Volac Whey Nutrition’s portfolio includes the Volactive range, while Arla Foods Ingredients offers the Lacprodan range, featuring solutions for sports nutrition applications such as RTDs, powder shakes, and protein bars.
The acquisition includes the shares of Volac Whey Nutrition and its subsidiaries, Volac Whey Nutrition and Volac Renewable Energy.
Volac joint owner James Neville said: “We were always confident that Arla Foods Ingredients had the necessary expertise and values to take our Whey Nutrition business to the next level, and we are delighted to have reached this important step in the acquisition process.”
The acquisition is a part of the future strategy of Arla Foods Ingredients, a wholly-owned subsidiary of food company Arla. The company plans to transform the Felinfach site into a global production hub, strengthening its product offerings in the performance, health, and food sectors.
For Volac, this move aligns with its evolution as a family business. It provides the opportunity to optimally develop both the Whey Nutrition Business and its remaining Animal Nutrition Business.
Arla Foods Ingredients managing director and group vice president Luis Cubel said: “We will now move forward with the formal process necessary to make Volac’s Whey Nutrition business part of Arla Foods Ingredients.
“Once that is complete, we will be able to comment further on the many advantages of bringing together these two major manufacturers of whey ingredients, not just for both companies, but also for our customers and the industry as a whole.”
In July this year, the ingredients maker received US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval for whey protein hydrolysates in infant formula, supporting allergy management and gut comfort.
