On December 23 , 2024 , BASF announced that it had signed a binding agreement to sell its food and health functional ingredients business to Louis Dreyfus Group ( LDC ).

The sale includes BASF’s production base in Illetisen, Germany. After the transaction is completed, BASF will have about 300 employees transferred to LDC . Both parties agree not to disclose financial details of the transaction.

LDC said its health and functional component business has limited synergies and integration with BASF and is therefore no longer a strategic focus area for the group. The product portfolio of this business includes food performance ingredients such as inflators and foaming agents, food emulsifiers and fat powders. It also includes healthy ingredients such as plant sterol esters, conjugated linoleic acid, omega-3 oils for human nutrition and some smaller product ranges.

LDC , a global trading and processing company for agricultural products, including plant ingredients, said Michael Gelchie, the company's CEO , said the company has agreed to acquire the business, in line with its "strategic plan to diversify revenue through more value-added products and downstream market growth." He added that the agreement was an opportunity to accelerate LDC's participation in the rapidly growing plant-based ingredients market, commenting: "We are very excited about the prospects of this deal, as LDC invests in a dedicated facility for the first time to mass-produce food and health functional ingredients."

In a statement announcing the transaction, LDC said that continued reliable supply and business relationships will not be affected by the transaction. "Our team has successfully developed this business over the past few years, and LDC , as a future-oriented company, can offer bright prospects for employees and portfolios," said Michael Heinz, executive board member of BASF Europe's executive board and head of nutrition and health.

“Transferring this business to LDC helps us optimize our strategic portfolio and allow us to focus on core businesses in the nutrition and health sectors. We will continue to work to expand our business in key areas such as vitamins, carotenoids and feed enzymes using our core product platform.” The transaction requires customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.