French milk empire Lactalis caught in media blitz

FRENCH billionaire Emmanuel Besnier gets milk. Transparency and media exposure not so much. Lactalis, the secretive milk empire founded by his grandfather, has been caught in a swirl of bad publicity recently, leaving him grappling for a response.

The group, whose "President" brie cheese and "Galbani" mozzarella helped turn it into one of the world's largest dairy producers, is accused by farmers of profiting at their expense by paying rock-bottom prices for their milk.

Reeling from a global slump in milk prices, French farmers took to the streets and roped in consumers to support their claims for higher prices. Their success in extracting a price commitment from a reluctant Lactalis in August, following weeks of demonstrations, is inspiring Spanish and Italian suppliers to push for similar deals.