Principles of Consolidation — For the period prior to the IPO, the consolidated financial statements present the consolidated results of operations, comprehensive income, financial position, cash flows and stockholders’ equity of the active nutrition business of Post. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. Transactions between the Company and Post are included in these financial statements as well as allocations of certain Post corporate expenses. These allocated expenses related to various services that were provided to the Company by Post, including, but not limited to, cash management and other treasury services, administrative services (such as tax, employee benefit administration, risk management, internal audit, accounting and human resources) and stock-based compensation plan administration. See Note 6 for further information on services that Post continues to provide to the Company.

For the periods subsequent to the IPO, the financial results of BellRing LLC and its subsidiaries are consolidated with BellRing Inc., and a portion of the consolidated net earnings of BellRing LLC is allocated to the redeemable noncontrolling interest (the “NCI”). The calculation of the NCI is based on Post’s ownership percentage of BellRing LLC units during each period, and reflects the entitlement of Post to a portion of the consolidated net earnings of BellRing LLC.

Use of Estimates and Allocations — The consolidated financial statements of the Company are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), which require certain elections as to accounting policy, estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amount of net revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant accounting policy elections, estimates and assumptions include, among others, valuation assumptions of intangible assets and income taxes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash Equivalents — Cash equivalents include all highly liquid investments with original maturities of less than three months. At September 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company had $152.6 and $48.7, respectively, in available cash, of which 5.5% and 25.7%, respectively, was outside of the United States (the “U.S.”). The Company’s intention is to reinvest these funds indefinitely.

Receivables — Receivables are reported at net realizable value. This value includes appropriate allowances for credit losses, cash discounts and other amounts which the Company does not ultimately expect to collect. To calculate the allowance for credit losses, the Company estimates uncollectible amounts based on a review of past due balances, historical loss information and an evaluation of customer accounts for potential future losses. A receivable is considered past due if payments have not been received within the agreed upon invoice terms. Receivables are written off against the allowance when deemed to be uncollectible based upon the Company’s evaluation of the customer’s solvency. As of September 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company did not have off-balance sheet credit exposure related to its customers.

Inventories — Inventories are generally valued at the lower of average cost (determined on a first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value. Reported amounts have been reduced by a write-down for obsolete product and packaging materials based on a review of inventories on hand compared to estimated future usage and sales.

Restructuring Expenses — Restructuring charges principally consist of severance and other employee separation costs. The Company recognizes restructuring obligations and liabilities for exit and disposal activities at fair value in the period the liability is incurred. Employee severance costs are expensed when they become probable and reasonably estimable under established severance plans.

Property — Property is recorded at cost, and depreciation expense is generally provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the property. Estimated useful lives range from 2 to 13 years for machinery and equipment; 1 to 33 years for buildings, building improvements and leasehold improvements; and 1 to 3 years for software. Total depreciation expense was $2.5, $2.9 and $3.1 in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Any gains and losses incurred on the sale or disposal of assets would be included in other operating income/expense in the statement of operations. Repair and maintenance costs incurred in connection with on-going and planned major maintenance activities are accounted for under the direct expensing method. Property consisted of:


	September 30,
	2021		2020
Land and land improvements	$	0.8	$	0.8
Buildings and leasehold improvements	5.5		5.4
Machinery and equipment	12.6		14.2
Software	2.1		1.9
Construction in progress	0.6		0.3
	21.6		22.6
Accumulated depreciation	(12.7)		(12.4)
Property, net	$	8.9	$	10.2

Goodwill — Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of acquired businesses over the fair market value of their identifiable net assets. The Company conducts a goodwill impairment qualitative assessment during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year following the annual forecasting process, or more frequently if facts and circumstances indicate that goodwill may be impaired. The goodwill impairment qualitative assessment requires an analysis to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of the business is less than its carrying amount. If adverse qualitative trends are identified that could negatively impact the fair value of the business, a quantitative goodwill impairment test is performed.

Company elected not to perform a qualitative assessment and instead performed a quantitative impairment test. The quantitative goodwill impairment test requires an entity to compare the fair value of each reporting unit with its carrying amount. The estimated fair value is determined using a combined income and market approach with a greater weighting on the income approach. The income approach is based on discounted future cash flows and requires significant assumptions, including estimates regarding future revenue, profitability, capital requirements and discount rate. The market approach is based on a market multiple (revenue and EBITDA, which stands for earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) and requires an estimate of appropriate multiples based on market data.

Intangible Assets — Intangible assets consist primarily of definite-lived customer relationships, trademarks and brands. Amortization expense related to definite-lived intangible assets, which is provided on a straight-line basis (as it approximates the economic benefit) over the estimated useful lives of the assets, was $51.2, $22.2 and $22.2 in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. For the definite-lived intangible assets recorded as of September 30, 2021, amortization expense of $19.5 is expected in each of the next five fiscal years. Intangible assets consisted of:


	September 30, 2021						September 30, 2020
	Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Amount		Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Amount
Customer relationships	$	178.6	$	(75.3)	$	103.3	$	209.4	$	(76.9)	$	132.5
Trademarks and brands	195.1		(75.3)		119.8		213.4		(71.6)		141.8
Other intangible assets	3.1		(3.1)		—		3.1		(3.1)		—
Intangible assets, net	$	376.8	$	(153.7)	$	223.1	$	425.9	$	(151.6)	$	274.3

In December 2020, the Company finalized its plan to discontinue the Supreme Protein brand and related sales of Supreme Protein products. In connection with the discontinuance, the Company updated the useful lives of the customer relationships and trademarks associated with the Supreme Protein brand to reflect the remaining period in which the Company continued to sell existing Supreme Protein product inventory. Accelerated amortization of $29.9 was recorded during the year ended September 30, 2021 resulting from the updated useful lives of the customer relationships and trademarks associated with the Supreme Protein brand, which were fully amortized and written off as of September 30, 2021.

Recoverability of Assets — The Company continually evaluates whether events or circumstances have occurred which might impair the recoverability of the carrying value of its assets, including property, identifiable intangibles, goodwill and right-of-use (“ROU”) assets.

In addition, definite-lived asset groups are reassessed as needed whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable or the estimated useful life is no longer appropriate. If circumstances require that a definite-lived asset group be tested for possible impairment, the Company will compare the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group to the carrying amount of the asset group. If the carrying amount of the definite-lived asset is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. There were no indicators, including adverse trends in the business, that indicated it was more likely than not that the Company’s long-lived assets were impaired in fiscal 2021, 2020 or 2019.

Derivative Financial Instruments — In the ordinary course of business, the Company is exposed to commodity price risks relating to the acquisition of raw materials and supplies, interest rate risks relating to floating rate debt and foreign currency exchange rate risks. The Company utilizes swaps to manage certain of these exposures by hedging when it is practical to do so. The Company does not hold or issue financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes.

The Company’s derivative programs may include strategies that do and do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. To qualify for hedge accounting, the hedging relationship, both at inception of the hedge and on an ongoing basis, is expected to be highly effective in achieving offsetting changes in the fair value of the hedged risk during the period that the hedge is designated. All derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet at fair value. For derivatives that qualify for hedge accounting,

the derivative is designated as a hedge on the date in which the derivative contract is entered. Derivatives could be designated as a hedge of the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability (cash flow hedge). Derivatives may also be considered natural hedging instruments, where changes in their fair values act as economic offsets to changes in fair values of the underlying hedged items and are not designated for hedge accounting. The Company does not have any derivatives currently or previously designated as a net investment or fair value hedge.

For cash flow hedges, gains and losses are recorded in other comprehensive income (“OCI”) and are reclassified to the Consolidated Statements of Operations in conjunction with the recognition of the underlying hedged item. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are not designated for hedge accounting are recognized immediately in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Cash flows from derivatives that are accounted for as hedges and cash flows from derivatives that are not designated as hedges are classified in the same category on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as the items being hedged or on bases consistent with the nature of the instruments.

Leases — In conjunction with the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” and ASU 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements” on October 1, 2019, the policy for lease accounting was updated. The policy for lease accounting is as follows:

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at its inception. When the arrangements include lease and non-lease components, the Company accounts for them as a single lease component. Leases with an initial term of less than 12 months are not reported on the balance sheet, but rather are recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Arrangements may include options to extend or terminate the lease arrangement. These options are included in the lease term used to establish ROU assets and lease liabilities when it is reasonably certain they will be exercised. The Company will reassess expected lease terms based on changes in circumstances that indicate options may be more or less likely to be exercised.

The Company has certain lease arrangements that include variable rental payments. The future variability of these payments and adjustments are unknown and therefore are not included in minimum rental payments used to determine ROU assets and lease liabilities. The Company has lease arrangements where it makes separate payments to the lessor based on the lessor's common area maintenance expenses, property and casualty insurance costs, property taxes assessed on the property and other variable expenses. As the Company has elected the practical expedient not to separate lease and non-lease components, these variable amounts are captured in operating lease expense in the period in which they are incurred. Variable rental payments are recognized in the period in which the associated obligation is incurred.

As most of the Company’s lease arrangements do not provide an implicit interest rate, an incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”) is applied in determining the present value of future payments. The Company’s IBR is selected based upon information available at the lease commencement date.

ROU assets are recorded as “Other assets,” and lease liabilities are recorded as “Other current liabilities” and “Other liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Costs associated with finance leases and lease income do not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In conjunction with the adoption of ASUs 2016-02 and 2018-11, the Company utilized the cumulative effect adjustment method of adoption and, accordingly, recorded ROU assets and lease liabilities of $14.8 and $16.0, respectively, on the balance sheet at October 1, 2019. The Company elected the following practical expedients in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842, “Leases”:

•Reassessment elections — The Company elected the package of practical expedients and did not reassess whether any existing contracts are or contain a lease, provided a lease analysis was conducted under ASC Topic 840, “Leases”. To the extent leases were identified under ASC Topic 840, the Company did not reassess the classification of those leases. Additionally, to the extent initial direct costs were capitalized under ASC Topic 840 and are not amortized as a result of the implementation of ASC Topic 842, they were not reassessed.

•Short-term lease election — ASC Topic 842 allows lessees an option to not recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities arising from short-term leases. A short-term lease is defined as a lease with an initial term of 12 months or less. The Company elected to not recognize short-term leases as ROU assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. All short-term leases which are not included on the Company’s balance sheet will be recognized within lease expense. Leases that have an initial term of 12 months or less with an option for renewal will need to be assessed in order to determine if the lease qualifies for the short-term lease exception. If the option is reasonably certain to be exercised, the lease does not qualify as a short-term lease.

Net Investment of Post — Net Investment of Post on the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity represents Post’s historical investment in its active nutrition business, its accumulated net income and the net effect of the transactions with and allocations from Post prior to the IPO.

Revenue — The Company recognizes revenue when performance obligations have been satisfied by transferring control of the goods to customers. Control is generally transferred upon delivery of the goods to the customer. At the time of delivery, the customer is invoiced using previously agreed-upon credit terms. Shipping and/or handling costs that occur before the customer obtains control of the goods are deemed fulfillment activities and are accounted for as fulfillment costs. The Company’s contracts with customers generally contain one performance obligation.

Many of the Company’s contracts with customers include some form of variable or fixed consideration. The most common forms of variable and fixed consideration are trade promotions, rebates and discount programs. As of September 30, 2021 and 2020, these programs resulted in an allowance for trade promotions of $19.4 and $14.7, respectively, which were recorded as a reduction of “Receivables, net” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Variable consideration is treated as a reduction of revenue at the time product revenue is recognized. Methodologies for determining these provisions are dependent on specific customer pricing and promotional practices, which range from contractually fixed percentage price reductions to reimbursement based on actual occurrence or performance. The Company does not believe that there will be significant changes to its estimates of variable consideration when any uncertainties are resolved with customers. The Company reviews and updates estimates of variable consideration each period. Uncertainties related to the estimates of variable consideration are resolved in a short time frame and do not require any additional constraint on variable consideration. The majority of trade promotions are redeemed in the form of invoice credits against trade receivables.

The Company’s products are sold with no right of return, except in the case of goods which do not meet product specifications or are damaged. No services beyond this assurance-type warranty are provided to customers. Customer remedies include either a cash refund or an exchange of the product. As a result, the right of return and related refund liability is estimated and recorded as a reduction of revenue based on historical sales return experience.

The following table summarizes the impact of the Company’s adoption of ASU 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” on a modified retrospective basis in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2019, the year of adoption. As a result of the adoption, certain payments to customers totaling $8.8 in the year ended September 30, 2019 previously classified in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” were classified as “Net Sales” in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. These payments to customers related to trade advertisements that supported the Company’s sales to customers. In accordance with ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” these payments were determined not to be distinct within the customer contracts and, as such, required classification within net sales. No changes to the balance sheet were required by the adoption of ASC Topic 606.


	Year Ended September 30, 2019
	As Reported Under ASC Topic 606		As Reported Under Prior Guidance		Impact of Adoption
Net Sales	$	854.4	$	863.2	$	(8.8)
Cost of goods sold	542.6		542.6		—
Gross Profit	311.8		320.6		(8.8)
Selling, general and administrative expenses	127.1		135.9		(8.8)
Amortization of intangible assets	22.2		22.2		—
Operating Profit	$	162.5	$	162.5	$	—

Cost of Goods Sold — Cost of goods sold includes, among other things, inbound and outbound freight costs and depreciation expense related to assets used in production, while storage and other warehousing costs are included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Storage and other warehousing costs totaled $17.0, $17.4 and $13.7 in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Advertising — Advertising costs are expensed as incurred, except for costs of producing media advertising such as television commercials or magazine and online advertisements, which are deferred until the first time the advertising takes place and amortized over the period the advertising runs. The amounts reported as assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” were immaterial as of September 30, 2021 and 2020.

Stock-based Compensation — Prior to the IPO, the Company’s employees had solely participated in Post’s stock-based compensation plans. Stock-based compensation expense under Post’s stock-based compensation plans had been allocated to the Company based on the awards and terms previously granted to its employees. All awards outstanding under Post’s stock-based compensation plans will continue to vest and the Company will record stock based-compensation expense related to those awards. Subsequent to the IPO, the Company’s employees also began to participate in the Company’s 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan.

The Company recognizes the cost of employee services received in exchange for awards of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of equity awards and the fair market value at each quarterly reporting date for liability awards. That cost is recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award — the requisite service period (usually the vesting period). Any forfeitures of stock-based awards are recorded as they occur. See Note 17 for disclosures related to stock-based compensation.

Income Tax Expense — Income tax expense is estimated based on income taxes in each jurisdiction and includes the effects of both current tax exposures and the temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. These temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is established against the related deferred tax assets to the extent that it is not “more likely than not” that the future benefits will be realized. Reserves are recorded for estimated exposures associated with the Company’s tax filing positions, which are subject to periodic audits by governmental taxing authorities. Interest due to an underpayment of income taxes is classified as income taxes.