Danone Q3: Overview
- Danone Q3 saw growth across all regions and business divisions
- EMEA growth was driven by Alpro, Activia, Danone and high-protein products, while Volvic posted double-digit gains
- Americas sales increased, supported by Aptamil, Neocate and Kate Farms and a turnaround plan
- Demand for high-protein, gut health and medical nutrition products continues to accelerate globally
- Danone highlighted the strategic value of its newly acquired Huel business to expand access to convenient nutrition
Danone has delivered a strong Q3 performance, with sales of €7,233m ($8,048m), up 4% on a like-for-like (LFL) basis.
A 3.6% increase in price contributed to this, says the company, and sales volume edged up by 0.4%. On a reported basis, sales increased by 5.2%.
Broken down into regions, EMEA is up 3.9% LFL, “driven by Essential Dairy & Plant-based Products (EDP) and Waters across the region”.
EDP growth was strongest in France, Spain and the UK, driven by the Danone, Alpro, Activia and high-protein brands. Waters also played its part, with Volvic delivering double digit growth.
The Americas are up 4.4% LFL after actions were taken to restore performance in EDP in North America and Specialized Nutrition “delivered outstanding performance, driven by Aptamil, Neocate and Kate Farms”. Evian gave a solid performance in Waters.
Elaborating on North America, it added that “decisive actions are in place to regain momentum, focusing on step-changing execution and regaining innovation leadership through strong product pipeline beyond high protein”.
On this note, it added that new leadership has been appointed for the US business, effective immediately and reporting to Henri Bruxelles, president of the Americas.
APAC is up 3.6% LFL. This was down to EDP showing “strong momentum in Japan”, driven by Activia and Oikos. In Specialized Nutrition, China, North India and Oceania delivered strong mid-single digit growth, driven by both IMF and Medical Nutrition. Indonesia and India led the dynamism of the rest of the APAC zone, but Waters was impacted by Mizone amid a poor season of adverse weather conditions.
Overall, EDP is up 3.6% LFL, Specialized Nutrition is up 4.7% and Waters is up 3.6%.
Protein and gut health gold rush
“Our multi-engine growth model continues to demonstrate its resilience, underpinned by the strength and relevance of our health-focused portfolio,” says CEO, Antoine de Saint-Affrique.
The company is benefitting from the ever-growing appetite for protein, driven by GLP-1s and sports nutrition, and a rising interest in gut health.
“Demand for our winning platforms, from high protein to gut health and medical nutrition, remains strong across the world,” says de Saint-Affrique.
It also referenced its Huel acquisition and the company has been consolidated into Danone’s financial statements since September 1 2026. “By combining the direct-to-consumer and community engagement capabilities of Huel with the scale and global reach of Danone, more consumers will have access to nutritionally complete and convenient, sustainable food.”
