Top stories on just-food this week

JBS's bold attempt to become the world's largest meat processor grabbed your attention this week, with its proposed acquisition of US poultry firm Pilgrim's Pride and its planned merger with Brazilian food group Bertin among the ten most-read stories on just-food. The continued rumblings over the future of Cadbury also caught your eye, as did the goings-on with Woolworths Ltd and Coles in Australia's grocery retailing sector.

US: JBS to take majority stake in Pilgrim's Pride
Brazil-based meat giant JBS will acquire a majority stake in bankrupt US poultry processor Pilgrim's Pride in a deal with an enterprise value of US$2.8bn.

BRAZIL: JBS, Bertin agree merger
Brazilian meat groups JBS and Bertin have reached an agreement to unify operations, the companies revealed today (16 September).

BRAZIL: Marfrig buys Cargill's Seara Alimentos
Brazilian food group Marfrig has acquired Cargill-owned poultry business Seara Alimentos for US$706.2m.

UK/US: Cadbury attacks "low-growth" Kraft
Cadbury chairman Roger Carr has labelled Kraft Foods a "low-growth" company in a strongly-worded letter to the US food giant's chief Irene Rosenfeld to explain why the UK confectioner snubbed a GBP10.2bn (US$16.9bn) takeover proposal last week.

AUS: Watchdog strikes Woolworths, Coles tenancy deal
Woolworths Ltd and Coles, Australia's two largest retailers, have agreed to end "restrictive provisions" in the leases for their supermarkets, the country's competition watchdog said today (18 September).

SWITZ: Salary cap could force Nestlé move
Swiss food and beverage giant Nestle has said it might leave its home base of Switzerland if the government's proposal to cap top salaries is approved.

US: Weight Watchers sues Nestle over TM claims
Weight management company Weight Watchers International has filed a lawsuit against Nestle, accusing the world's largest food maker of trademark violations in the US.

EU: Fischer Boel to stand down
Mariann Fischer Boel is to step down from her role as EU Agriculture Commissioner at the end of her term.

UPDATE: EU: Farmers stand firm on need for milk quotas
European dairy farmers remain unsatisfied with the fresh swathe of support being proposed by the EU, insisting that the goal of phasing out quotas by 2015 is "not beneficial" to the market.

US: Kroger cuts full-year earnings guidance
US supermarket group Kroger cut its full-year guidance today (15 September) despite a slight improvement in earnings for the first two quarters of 2009.