Danish dairy major Arla Foods has officially confirmed the removal of its Jörd alt-milk brand from UK retail shelves.
Arla launched Jörd in 2020, marking its entry into the plant-based milk market. This move sparked controversy, particularly as the cooperative, owned by dairy farmers, had executives publicly opposing plant-based alternatives to dairy products.
While the company has refrained from elaborating on its reasoning, there will likely be questions surrounding Jörd’s performance in an intensely competitive sector.
The Jörd range has reportedly been removed from UK supermarket chains, including Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s.
In a concise statement to Just Food, an Arla Foods spokesperson stated: “As a cooperative, we are constantly looking for ways to drive the greatest value for our farmer owners. We have made the decision to make a strategic shift and refocus the Arla Jörd product range for the foodservice channel. This means that we will no longer offer Arla Jörd as a retail product in the UK.”
However, the barista variant of the product will still be accessible through the foodservice sector in the UK, albeit under a different brand name, as confirmed by the spokesperson.
The Jörd brand will maintain its retail and foodservice presence in Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, including its barista offering.
When initially launching Jörd, Arla stated: “In recent years, an increasing number of consumers are looking for plant-based products and the trend is set to continue. Therefore, Arla has decided to enter the market for plant-based products to meet consumer demand and to develop the category with natural products and unique flavour compositions.”
The co-op relaunched the product line in February last year with new packaging and a reformulated recipe. The range featured oat drinks in Plain, Hemp, and Vanilla SKUs, along with Arla Jörd Oat Barista.
Originally, Arla launched Jörd with three oat drink varieties: Oat; Oat & Hemp; and Oat & Barley.
In terms of financial performance, the group reported revenue of €6.6bn ($6.87bn) in the first half of 2024, reflecting a 6.5% decrease year-on-year. Meanwhile, EBITDA rose from €399m to €512m.
