Derivatives

6 Months Ended

Jun. 29, 2024

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

The Company’s operations are exposed to market risks relating to commodity prices that affect the Company’s cost of raw materials, finished product prices, energy costs and the risk of changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates.

The Company makes limited use of derivative instruments to manage cash flow risks related to interest rates, natural gas usage, diesel fuel usage, inventory, forecasted sales and foreign currency exchange rates. The Company does not use derivative instruments for trading purposes. Interest rate swaps are entered into with the intent of managing overall borrowing costs by reducing the potential impact of increases in interest rates on floating-rate long-term debt. Natural gas swaps and options are entered into with the intent of managing the overall cost of natural gas usage by reducing the potential impact of seasonal weather demands on natural gas that increases natural gas prices. Heating oil swaps and

options are entered into with the intent of managing the overall cost of diesel fuel usage by reducing the potential impact of seasonal weather demands on diesel fuel that increases diesel fuel prices. Soybean meal forwards and options are entered into with the intent of managing the impact of changing prices for poultry meal sales. Corn options and future contracts are entered into with the intent of managing U.S. forecasted sales of bakery by-products (“BBP”) by reducing the impact of changing prices. Foreign currency forward and option contracts are entered into to mitigate the foreign exchange rate risk for transactions designated in a currency other than the local functional currency.

At June 29, 2024, the Company had corn option contracts, foreign exchange forward contracts and interest rate swaps outstanding that qualified and were designated for hedge accounting as well as corn forward contracts and foreign currency forward contracts that did not qualify and were not designated for hedge accounting.

In fiscal 2024 and 2023, the Company’s DGD Joint Venture entered into heating oil derivatives that were deemed to be cash flow hedges. As a result, the Company has accrued the other comprehensive income/(loss) portion belonging to Darling with an offset to the investment in DGD as required by FASB ASC Topic 323.

Cash Flow Hedges

In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company entered into interest rate swaps that are designated as cash flow hedges. The notional amount of these swaps totaled $900.0 million. Under the contracts, the Company is obligated to pay a weighted average rate of 4.007% while receiving the 1-month SOFR rate. Under the terms of the interest rate swaps, the Company hedged a portion of its variable rate debt into the first quarter of 2026. At June 29, 2024 and December 30, 2023, the aggregate fair value of these interest rate swaps was approximately $7.3 million and $3.7 million, respectively. These amounts are included in other current assets, other assets, accrued expenses and noncurrent liabilities on the balance sheet, with an offset recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company also entered into cross currency swaps that are designated as cash flow hedges. The notional amount of these swaps was €519.2 million. Under the contracts, the Company is obligated to pay a 4.6% euro denominated fixed rate while receiving a weighted average U.S. dollar fixed rate of 5.799%. Under the terms of the cross currency swaps, the Company hedged its intercompany notes receivable into the first quarter of 2025. Accordingly, changes in the fair value of the cash flow hedge are initially recorded as gains and/or losses as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. We immediately reclassify from accumulated other comprehensive loss to earnings an amount to offset the remeasurement recognized in earnings associated with the respective intercompany loan. Additionally, we reclassify amounts from accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) associated with the interest rate differential between the U.S. dollar and the Euro to interest income. At June 29, 2024 and December 30, 2023, the aggregate fair value of these cross currency swaps was approximately $4.0 million and $10.8 million, respectively. At June 29, 2024, these amounts are included in other current assets on the balance sheet, with an offset recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss. At December 30, 2023, these amounts are included in other current assets and noncurrent liabilities on the balance sheet, with an offset recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company entered into corn option contracts on the Chicago Board of Trade that are designated as cash flow hedges. Under the terms of the corn option contracts, the Company hedged a portion of its U.S. forecasted sales of BBP into the first quarter of fiscal 2025. At June 29, 2024 and December 30, 2023, the aggregate fair value of these corn option contracts was approximately $1.5 million and zero, respectively. The amounts are included in other current assets on the balance sheet, with an offset recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

In fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024, the Company entered into foreign exchange forward contracts that are designated as cash flow hedges. Under the terms of the foreign exchange contracts, the Company hedged a portion of its forecasted sales in currencies other than the functional currency through the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. At June 29, 2024 and December 30, 2023, the aggregate fair value of these foreign exchange contracts was approximately $17.4 million and $15.9 million, respectively. These amounts are included in other current assets, accrued expenses and other non-current liabilities on the balance sheet, with an offset recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

The Company may enter into soybean meal forward contracts and heating oil swap and option contracts from time to time. There were not any open designated soybean meal forward or heating oil swap and option contracts entered into by the Company at June 29, 2024 and December 30, 2023, respectively.

As of June 29, 2024, the Company had the following designated and non-designated outstanding forward and option contract amounts that were entered into to hedge foreign currency transactions in currencies other than the functional currency and forecasted transactions in currencies other than the functional currency (in thousands):


Functional Currency		Contract Currency
Type	Amount	Type	Amount
Brazilian real	294,847	Euro	52,652
Brazilian real	1,848,598	U.S. dollar	342,861

Euro	24,406	U.S. dollar	26,432
Euro	65,305	Polish zloty	281,945
Euro	10,583	Japanese yen	1,795,505
Euro	47,676	Chinese renminbi	371,600
Euro	18,088	Australian dollar	29,450
Euro	3,532	British pound	2,994


Polish zloty	1,454	U.S. dollar	361
Polish zloty	26,822	Euro	6,203
British pound	188	Euro	222
British pound	276	U.S. dollar	350
Japanese yen	159,644	U.S. dollar	1,004
U.S. dollar	93	Japanese yen	14,928
U.S. dollar	562,340	Euro	519,182
Australian dollar	201	Euro	125
Australian dollar	359	U.S. dollar	239

The Company estimates the amount that will be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss at June 29, 2024 into earnings over the next 12 months for all cash flow hedges will be approximately $19.1 million. As of June 29, 2024, no amounts have been reclassified into earnings as a result of the discontinuance of cash flow hedges.

The table below summarizes the effect of derivatives not designated as hedges on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 29, 2024 and July 1, 2023 (in thousands):


		Loss or (Gain) Recognized in Income on Derivatives Not Designated as Hedges
		Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	Location	June 29, 2024		July 1, 2023		June 29, 2024		July 1, 2023

Foreign exchange	Foreign currency loss/(gain)	$	(194)	$	(2,036)	$	(850)	$	(1,236)
Foreign exchange	Net sales	158		(306)		642		(977)
Foreign exchange	Cost of sales and operating expenses	(107)		(103)		(299)		(120)
Foreign exchange	Selling, general and administrative expenses	8,091		(2,673)		9,572		(4,058)
Corn options and futures	Net sales	238		1,111		546		1,382
Corn options and futures	Cost of sales and operating expenses	(1,868)		(2,191)		(2,236)		(2,608)


Heating Oil swaps and options	Selling, general and administrative expenses	—		—		—		49
Soybean meal	Net sales	—		525		—		308

Total		$	6,318	$	(5,673)	$	7,375	$	(7,260)

At June 29, 2024, the Company had forward purchase agreements in place for purchases of approximately $165.6 million of natural gas and diesel fuel. The Company intends to take physical delivery of the commodities under the forward purchase agreements and accordingly, these contracts are not subject to the requirements of fair value accounting because they qualify as normal purchases.