Food Dive reported the development on 2025-10-01. The agreement, which also includes a board refresh, comes two weeks after the dairy giant abandoned plans to acquire the kefir maker.
The report places the news in a wider commercial context. Danone will pause litigation against Lifeway Foods and vote in favor of the company’s board, part of a sweeping agreement that comes just two weeks after the Oikos manufacturer said it was abandoning its year-long effort to buy the kefir maker.
For the food sector, the practical implications extend beyond the immediate announcement. The new agreement brokers a truce, with both companies agreeing to pause litigation against each other over the matter. Lifeway has agreed to appoint four new independent directors who are not affiliated with Danone, Lifeway, or Edward and Lucy Smolyansky, the CEO's brother and mother.
Attention now turns to how companies, customers and regulators respond. Two of Lifeway's longest-serving board members will step down as part of the deal. The kefir company also plans to separate the chairman and CEO roles, with Julie Smolyansky remaining as the chief executive. An independent director will eventually serve as chairman. Danone agreed to vote in favor of Lifeway's board of directors at the company's 2025 and 2026 annual meetings.
Food Dive
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