Blue Diamond Growers is seeking more than $US20 million ($26.2 million) in damages in a Californian arbitration in which it also hopes to block Freedom Foods Group from making and selling its key growth brand, MilkLAB almond milk beverage.

Raj Joshi, Blue Diamond’s senior vice-president, said he was surprised Freedom Foods had been “publicly touting MilkLAB almond milk as a critical element of its turnaround and recapitalisation strategy in Australia when that brand is at the very centre of our legal proceedings in California”.