Reckitt Benckiser, the company behind Nurofen, Dettol and Durex, is moving into baby food with the $16.6bn (£13.3bn) acquisition of a US infant formula maker, its biggest deal to date.
Mead Johnson Nutrition manufactures Enfa formula, which it says is the main infant nutrition brand in the world and will become the combined group’s biggest “powerbrand”, with sales of $3.7bn a year. The company also produces Choco Milk, Lactum and other milk-based products for children.
Reckitt’s top brands at present are Durex condoms, Mucinex cough remedy and Dettol and Lysol cleaners. Adding baby food to its vast portfolio of household products will raise the company’s standing among consumer multinationals Unilever, Nestlé, Danone and Procter & Gamble.
