Arla Foods UK honoured by HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark

Arla Foods UK has been presented with Denmark’s prestigious national award, The Diploma of the Danish Export Association and His Royal Highness Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honour for delivering excellent growth within the Arla Foods amba group.

Peter Lauritzen, Arla Foods UK and Birger Riis-Jørgensen the danish ambassador (right). The honour, which is awarded annually, is presented to Danish companies, located outside Denmark, in recognition of outstanding efforts in promoting and marketing Danish products and services abroad.

Arla Foods UK has been bestowed the honour for delivering a substantial increase in its earnings and significantly growing sales of exported products, particularly those within the Lurpak and Anchor portfolios. In January 2007, Lurpak became the UK’s number one selling butter and spreads brand and has since increased its lead over its nearest competition by £30 million.

In addition to growing sales of exported products in the UK, the judging panel chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Henrik, the executive committee of the Danish export association, and a representative of Denmark’s ministry of foreign affairs, recognised Arla Foods UK’s commitment to lessening its impact on the environment.

During 2007 energy consumption was reduced by 16 per cent, water by 21.6 per cent and carbon dioxide by 16.4 per cent. This is in addition to over 791 tonnes of packaging being recycled. The accumulation of these efforts saw Arla Foods UK awarded energy efficiency accreditation from The Carbon Trust – a first for a dairy company in the UK.

Danish Ambassador Birger Riis-Jorgensen presented The Diploma of the Danish Export Association and His Royal Highness Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honour to Peter Lauritzen, CEO of Arla Foods UK, at a ceremony at the Danish Embassy in London on 15 July.

“I am delighted to present this award to Peter and his team for delivering outstanding business performance, not only in terms of the growth they have achieved for exported products, but for their dedication to the increasingly important environmental agenda,“ said Birger Riis-Jorgensen.

“I wish Peter, his team and Arla Foods the very best,” he added.

Accepting the award, Peter Lauritzen said: “We are delighted to receive The Diploma of the Danish Export Association and His Royal Highness Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honour.”

“This is a significant achievement and a reflection of our commitment to delivering the highest standards at every stage of our operations. Our success is thanks to the hard work and commitment of everyone in the company who, like myself, will take much pride in this honour.”