Popina Foods

OVERALL
Owned	AUS
Rating

Muesli makers

Founded in Melbourne in 1983 by CEO, Arnold May. The largest contract manufacturer of muesli based cereals and snack bars in Australia. Acquired by Freedom Foods in 2015.

Company Ownership

Popina (Vic) Pty Ltd	AUS	website	email	facebook	twitter
Freedom Foods Group Ltd       owns 100% of Popina (Vic) Pty Ltd	AUS	website	email	facebook	twitter
Dietetic and health food products Arrovest / The Perich Group (NSW's biggest dairy producer) owns 60% of the company. Changed its name to Freedom Foods Group Ltd in December 2010. Major exporter to China.
Arrovest Pty Ltd           owns 60% of Freedom Foods Group Ltd	AUS	website
Investment company Arrovest is a privately-owned family investment company, whose board consists solely of the Perich family. BRW estimates (Tony) Perich's wealth at $637 million. As well as owning most of Freedom Foods Group, the Perich family also have interests in the dairy and motorsports industries.

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Company Assessment

PRAISE	CRITICISM	INFORMATION
Popina (Vic) Pty Ltd
No assessment data currently available for Popina (Vic) Pty Ltd
Freedom Foods Group Ltd
Australian Packaging Covenant signatory Signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant, a voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation. [Source 2017][More on Packaging]		GM mayonnaise While most of this company's products are GM free according to Greenpeace, their Norganic mayonnaise comes in organic and non-organic varieties. The non-organic mayonnaise is made in the USA and contains 78% soyabean oil, which is most likely made from GM soybeans. About 90% of soy grown in the USA is genetically modified. [More on Genetic Engineering] Non-GMO products in USA This company has products that have been verified as compliant with the Non-GMO Project Standard, North America's only independent verification for products made according to best practices for GMO avoidance. [Source 2016][More on Genetic Engineering] GM-Free brands Brands owned by this company were rated 'green' in Greenpeace's 2011 Truefood Guide, signifying a clear policy on excluding GM-derived ingredients, including oils derived from GM crops, and animal products from animals fed on GM crops. [Source 2011][More on Genetic Engineering] Organic products This company manufactures or distributes products that are certified organic under the Australian Certified Organic label. [Source 2018][More on Eco-Certification] MAIF signatory This company is a signatory to the Manufacturers and Importers Agreement 1992 (MAIF), a voluntary self-regulatory code of conduct between the manufacturers and importers of infant formula in Australia. The MAIF Agreement aims to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and by ensuring the proper use of breast milk substitutes, when they are necessary, on the basis of adequate information through appropriate marketing and distribution. [Source 2019][More on Irresponsible Marketing] Chinese investment China's biggest private ­agricultural company, New Hope, will invest up to $500 million in Australian dairy farms and processing plants as part of a deal with Freedom Foods in what could be the first of many deals fuelled by the China-Australia free-trade agreement. [Source 2014][More on Finance] No tax paid in 2016/7 According to data released by the Australian Tax Office in Dec 2018, this company was one of 2,159 local and foreign-based companies that paid no tax in Australia in 2016-17. Please note however that companies pay income tax on profits, not revenue (total income). While some companies use tax havens and loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of tax in Australia, other companies that paid no tax have perfectly legitimate reasons. [Source 2018][More on Finance]
Arrovest Pty Ltd
		Political donations According to the democracyforsale.net website, this company donated $62,700 to Australia's major political parties between 2012 and 2018, as disclosed to the Australian Electoral Commision (AEC). [Source 2018][More on Politics]

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Related News

Freedom bulks up muesli credentials with $35m acquisition
23rd Oct 2015 — Popina Foods, a market leader in oat-based cereals and snacks, is poised to be bought by ASX-listed good-for-you food company Freedom Foods for $35 million.

Demand for oats rising in Australia and Asia, according to Freedom Foods, and Popina is a recognised leader in cluster format cereals and snacks in Australia.

The company operates out of a 10,500 sqm facility in Dandenong, Victoria. It makes a quarter of its sales from its own brands, Arnold's Farms and Goodness Superfoods, and the rest from its contract manufacturing operations.

The company was founded by Arnold May in 1983. Operating out of a shop front in inner Melbourne, he initially toasted muesli in small oven, blended it in a cement mixer and sold it to a few health stores. Thirty two years later, and Popina now holds more than a third of the Australian muesli market.

See more about the companies behind your breakfast products at the Shop Ethical! food and drink comparison page.