French grocery retailer Coopérative U, dairy company LSDH and the APLBC (Associations of Milk Producers for the Collective Good) have renewed their three-year partnership for the Bleu-Blanc-Coeur milk supply chain, ESM Magazine reports.

The tie-up marks a decade of collaboration since 2016 around a more sustainable and equitable farming model. 

It is one of more than 130 such tripartite contracts under Coopérative U’s industry strategy. 

The Bleu-Blanc-Coeur milk programme now spans 36 farmers producing about 35 million litres a year, translating into over seven million units of UHT milk sold in Coopérative U stores, with an emphasis on quality, traceability and better farmer pay.

Four key pillars

The programme rests on four pillars: 

  • 100% French milk from pasture-fed cows; 
  • non-GMO feed enriched with flax for beneficial Omega-3 levels; 
  • animal welfare through tailored practices; 
  • fair remuneration reflecting production costs. 

The flax-diversified feed also supports Coopérative U’s climate goals by cutting methane emissions and lowering the products’ carbon footprint. 

The renewal sits within a broader dairy strategy that also includes a long-standing partnership with organic milk collector Biolait — recently renewed for five years and worth about 22 million litres annually.

Coopérative U chairman and CEO Dominique Schelcher called the multi-year tripartite contracts «virtuous for the entire French food chain» and said they should inspire action beyond private label alone. 

LSDH president Emmanuel Vasseneix said the demanding specifications prepare the ecological transition:

«a fair price for producers, an affordable product for consumers». 

APLBC vice-president Bruno Cordier added that Coopérative U shares values with producers that go beyond the letter of the law, respecting their work to deliver a quality product.

Source: ESM Magazine