Adventist Health Food Company Participates in Meeting at the White House

Sanitarium is exploring ways to support better community health outcomes.

May 10, 2026 | Australia | Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review

Recent meetings at the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., between a Sanitarium Health Food Company team and United States government officials explored possibilities of collaboration. The April 30 meetings discussed how the Australia- and New Zealand-based company, which is managed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific Division (SPD), could use its health programs “to work with the U.S. government on improving community health outcomes,” according to Kevin Jackson, Sanitarium CEO.

“The meeting, scheduled for 30 minutes, continued for more than two hours, with a focus on the church’s health message,” Jackson shared with regional church leaders and representatives gathered in Brisbane, Australia, for the SPD for Christ launch event on May 2. “It concluded with ‘we want to make this work.’ ”

Jackson’s mention was part of a brief report in which he highlighted what he called “some stories of the blessings” the company has received in recent years. In his report he highlighted the company’s strong community and outreach commitment, its efforts toward mission integration across the board, and Sanitarium’s firm commitment to support the mission of the Adventist Church in the South Pacific and beyond.

Staggering Numbers

At first sight Sanitarium statistics seem staggering, Jackson reported. The company is producing 2.5 billion serves each year, 3 million of its signature breakfast cereal Weet-Bix™, 1 million of the Up & Go™ breakfast drink, and 500,000 liters of plant-based milk per day. “In the past 12 months the company has contributed 14.5 million serves of product donated to charity and crisis care,” he shared.

Despite these impressive figures, Jackson said that Sanitarium’s statistics “are great reading, but they are just numbers,” as “the underlying story is one of commitment to mission and of continued abundant blessing.”

Not the Result of Expertise or Chance

Sanitarium’s top performance was not always at that level, Jackson reminded Adventist regional leaders. In 2000, he shared, a major international cereal company had 53 percent of the regional market, while Sanitarium had only 9 percent. Today Sanitarium is the market leader, with 33 percent, while the other extremely well-known company is just 28 percent, he reported.

At the same time, in 2000 Sanitarium was the fifth entrant into the café plant-based milk market. Today the company is the market leader in that segment, with more than AUD$100 million (US$72 million), thanks to its Alternative Dairy Co.™ brand. And in 2000 Up & Go™ sold a little more than AUD$5 million (US$3.6 million) in revenue, while in 2026 it expects a revenue above AUD$300 million (US$216 million), Jackson reported.

“These things don’t just happen—they are the result of God’s blessings,” he told leaders.

Unbelievable Stories

In the next few minutes of his brief May 2 report, Jackson shared some of the stories of what he called unexpected blessings. They included the 2022 warehouse problem, when the company found that increasing production required finding urgent additional space for storing their products. “Our rapid growth meant that we needed five third-party warehouses,” he explained, with the additional costs related.

Jackson shared how “a fortuitous conversation” indicated that the owners of warehouse space across the road from Sanitarium were perhaps interested in selling. Sanitarium eventually purchased the property in an off-market transaction. The purchased facilities meant savings of millions in shipping per annum, he reported.

Another story highlighted how in 2015 another “fortuitous” connection meant Weet Bix® was, at no cost to Sanitarium, placed on the table of a famous soap opera in China watched by 300 million viewers. “Today Weet-Bix™, under the brand name Nutri-Brex™, is the number-one-selling breakfast cereal online in China,” Jackson reported.

Six-Day Tops Seven-Day Production

Jackson also shared how in 2004 Sanitarium decided to exit its United Kingdom business, at a large loss. “We committed the decision to God and proceeded,” Jackson, who then was the company’s young CEO, told church leaders and representatives in Brisbane.

He proceeded to tell how the business then had £2 million (US $2.7 million) in sales and was incurring a loss. In 2023, however, when the company had £82 million (US $111.5 million) in sales, Sanitarium purchased it back for less than they had sold it in 2004, according to Jackson. “After the purchase we sold some excess assets, and the proceeds meant we effectively paid nothing for the business,” he reported.

Jackson also explained that after the acquisition Sanitarium moved to a six-day instead of the previous seven-day production, to avoid production on the seventh-day Sabbath. While at the beginning some customers were not thrilled about the move, Jackson revealed that the company now produces 15 percent more in six days than what was previously produced in seven. “And the UK business is expected to make AUD$12 million (US$16.6 million) in 2026,” he said.

The Church in Action

Jackson concluded his May 2 report by emphasizing that these stories do not belong to Sanitarium alone. “It’s about the church’s mission, lived out in everyday life, and expressed through food, education, care, and the strengthening of church organizations,” he said.

At the same time, Jackson explained that the company’s current outlook demands responsible management. “We steward this calling with gratitude and responsibility,” he said. “Thank you for walking with us as we move the mission of the church forward.”