French food giant Danone has acquired The Akkermansia Company (TAC), a Belgian biotech firm based in Mont-Saint-Guibert, in a move to strengthen its position in the gut health and probiotics market.
TAC is known for its pioneering work on Akkermansia muciniphila, a naturally occurring gut bacterium discovered by researchers at Wageningen University and UCLouvain.
Over nearly two decades, the company has developed this strain into a pasteurised dietary supplement shown to help restore the gut barrier, reduce inflammation, and potentially support the treatment of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
The acquisition aligns with Danone’s Renew strategy, which focuses on innovation and scientific advancement in response to increasing consumer demand for health-promoting products. Danone, which owns probiotic brands like Activia and Actimel, sees TAC as a key addition to its growing portfolio of microbiome-based solutions.
With this acquisition, Danone strengthens its footprint in Belgium’s biotech sector and signals its ambition to lead in the next generation of probiotic and postbiotic health products.
