Snow Brand Milk Products Co. said Friday it posted a group net loss of 45.36 billion yen for the first half of this business year, due largely to hefty restructuring charges aimed at reviving the ailing dairy giant.

The firm logged a group net loss of 13.66 billion yen in the first half of 2001.

The scandal-tainted firm said its group sales for the six-month period through Sept. 30 dropped 13.9 percent to 535.2 billion yen on a year-on-year basis. Its group operating loss came to 11.63 billion yen, against the operating loss of 15.51 billion yen recorded a year ago.