SYDNEY — The Arnott’s Group has acquired three better-for-you snack brands — Mother Earth, Flemings and VP — from the New Zealand-based food manufacturer Prolife Foods Ltd.

Mother Earth was founded in 1973 as a healthy baked loaves brand but has expanded its BFY product portfolio to include nuts, natural peanut butter, honey, bars and fruit snacks. After Prolife Foods bought Mother Earth in 2008, it would eventually begin selling Mother Earth products in various global markets, including Australia.

Flemings was founded in 1999 as a muesli bar brand based on its 100-year oat heritage, Prolife Foods said.

VP also covers a wide range of BFY products, including nuts, nut blends and snacks.

All three brands will join Arnott’s Group’s portfolio of BFY cereals and snacks, which includes Freedom, Messy Monkeys and Sunsol.

“We recognize the growing demand for nutritious snacks and plan to leverage the Mother Earth, Flemings, and VP brands to support our ambition of becoming a leader in this space,” said George Zoghbi, chief executive officer of Arnott’s Group. “The brands will provide us with new platforms for innovation and growth, harnessing our near 160 years of manufacturing and logistics expertise to expand their ranges and distribution. We remain committed to expanding our snacking portfolio beyond biscuits and to investing in manufacturing both in Australia and New Zealand.”

Arnott’s Group has manufacturing operations in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Indonesia and sell its products in all major retailers.