After more than sixty years under US control, the historic brand Plasmon – symbol ofNutrition for children in Italy – Back to be Italian owned. The operation, announced on 11 July, foresees the acquisition by the NewPrinces Spa group (ex Newlat Food) of Italian activities in the Baby and Special Food of Kraft Heinz for a value of 120 million euros. A passage that has aroused attention not only for the return to Italian hands of a symbolic brand, but also for the implications that could have on the industrial and socio -economic level.
A strategic acquisition
The agreement provides for the transfer to a Newco controlled by Newprinces of the Plasmon brands, Nipiol, Biaglut, Aproten and Dieterba. Together with the brands, the historic plant of LatinWhere about 300 people work And more than 1.8 billion biscuits are produced every year.
The new property has ensured production and employment continuity. Not only that: the Latina website will also continue to produce for the British market thanks to a co -production agreement with Heinz. In a historical moment in which relocation is a widespread practice, the maintenance of activities in Italy is a signature that is anything but obvious.
It is not the first step of Newprinces in the childhood nutrition sector. Already in 2015 the group had detected the plant of Ozzano Taro (Parma) from Kraft Heinz, specialized in the production of milk powder – the only active system in Italy in this sector – and of foods intended for particular nutritional needs. The acquisition of Plasmon and other brands thus completes a strategic design aimed at strengthening the Italian and European presence of the company in a high -added sector.
What perspectives for Italian baby food
According to Newprinces, future objectives include the development of new biological and premium lines, new homogenized formats and children’s snacks, as well as an international expansion, leveraging the commercial network already active in over 60 countries. However, it remains to be verified how much these plans will translate into real benefits for Italian consumers, in terms of Quality, traceability and economic accessibility of products.
The local supply chain
Plasmon’s return to Italian hands raises a central theme: food sovereignty and enhancement of local supply chains. In a globalized market and dominated by industrial logic, the fact that a brand so rooted in national food culture is managed by an Italian reality could encourage greater attention to raw materials, transparency and sustainability. But even here, it will be crucial to observe the concrete choices of the new property over time.
A symbol that returns “home”, but it is not only nostalgia
Angelo Mastroiapresident of Newprinces, he defined the acquisition “a reason for pride and emotion”, adding: “reporting iconic brands in Italy as Plasmon concretizes a vision that we have pursued for years”. However, the operation cannot be read only in a patriotic key. It is a precise industrial move, which aims to strengthen competitiveness in a strategic sector such as that of nutrition for children and specialist nutrition.
