Danone reaffirmed, this time in a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, that it continues to consume Brazilian soy in its local and international operations, according to a note published by the ministry this Monday.
The French company’s unit in Brazil had already released a statement in October in which it said it maintained purchases of Brazilian soybeans, in accordance with local and international regulations.
The demonstration was made after Danone’s financial director, Jurgen Esser, told Reuters that the company had stopped buying soybeans from Brazil.
The company did not explain at the time the difference in its positioning in Brazil versus Esser’s comment when questioned by Reuters in the country. Danone’s headquarters in France did not return requests for comment.
“In reference to the information circulating about the purchase of Brazilian soybeans by Danone, wrongly reported by the media, we confirm and ratify that Danone continues to consume Brazilian soybeans in its local and international operations, in accordance with applicable regulations”, said Danone in the letter to the ministry, released by the ministry.
“Still, if any mention by Group executives led to misunderstandings about the sustainability of Brazilian soy, we sincerely apologize.”
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According to Danone, Brazilian soy is an “essential input” in the animal feed supply chain for Danone’s dairy operations around the world.
“In Brazil, in particular, the majority of this volume continues to be purchased through the Danone Purchasing Center and made available to partner dairy producers,” he said.
In other regions, where dairy farmers obtain their feed directly from suppliers of their choice, Brazilian soy continues to be an important input for Danone and the entire industry, Danone highlighted.
