French dairy giant Lactalis has sold its latest Argentine plant to a local operator for an undisclosed sum. "This Argentine site was part of a larger acquisition made in Mexico," a company spokesperson stressed.

The divestment comes after Lactalis, in December 2022, acquired Dairy Partners America, the Brazilian joint venture of Fonterra and Nestlé, paid about $133 million (see EFA News titled Lactalis buys Dairy Partners America and expands in Brazil).

In 2021, according to Rabobank's annual Global Dairy Top 20, Lactalis surpassed Nestlé as the world's largest dairy producer and is the second largest food producer in France, after Danone