Danone food manufacturer reports sales totals for Q3

PARIS Danone, international maker and distributor of dairy products, baby foods and other food items, has reported an increase of its by 8.3 percent for the third quarter.

The company said that its dairy business experienced growth of 8.2 percent in the third quarter and also saw a growth in volumes. Medical nutrition surpassed expectations by gorwing by 11.7 percent, the company said. Danone’s bottled water sales grew by 3.7 percent for the third quarter. The company attributed the slow spot to challenges in Western Europe. Danone’s strongest category was in baby nutrition, which grew 12.7 percent in the third quarter 2008.

“With a sales growth of 8.3 percent, the performance of the Group in the third quarter was solid and satisfactory and allows us to confirm our targets for 2008,” Franck Riboud, chairman and chief executive officer of Groupe Danone said. “This performance again reflects the relevance of the business lines we have chosen to be in and the geographic priorities we have set. It also shows the ability of our teams to adapt quickly to changing consumption patterns and markets. Our financial strength, competitive advantages and our unique culture provide us confidence in our ability to cope with this phase of difficult economic circumstances that we have entered.”

Groupe Danone’s detailed Annual Report, including risks and revenue overviews, is available at www.danone.com.