Do we like them?

Do we like Danone?

French food and drink maker: yoghurt (Activia), Evian water, Alpro plant milks and baby formula (Aptamil). Based in Paris.

Our score: 5 out of 10. Mixed. It's a big mainstream food firm with a green image, but it faces a plastics lawsuit and a 2026 baby-formula recall. We'd hold back until we see how both end.

Danone is a Paris-based food giant. It is best known for yoghurts, bottled water and baby formula. Antoine de Saint-Affrique has been CEO since 2021, replacing Emmanuel Faber, and his term runs to the 2028 shareholders' meeting.

In 2023, ClientEarth, Surfrider Foundation Europe and Zero Waste France took Danone to the Paris court under France's duty of vigilance law. They say it isn't doing enough on plastic, and put its use at 750,000 tonnes in 2021. Danone said it was 'very surprised' and 'strongly refutes' the claim.

In January 2026 Danone began a targeted recall of infant formula over cereulide, a toxin. Regulators linked it to a shared raw ingredient, ARA oil, which also hit Nestlé. The recall spread across Europe, including the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. UK health authorities reported 36 infants may have become ill, with no deaths.

In 2026 Danone set growth guidance of 3-5% and admitted the US needs to 'step up our game'. Overall it looks like a solid, ordinary big food company. We give it a middling score because the plastics case and the formula recall are both unresolved.