Australia’s largest food company Goodman Fielder has rejected a A$2.2bn (US$1.3bn) hostile takeover bid from spice maker Burns Philp and said it was in talks with other potential buyers.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Goodman Fielder, which makes Uncle Tobys cereals and Helga’s breads, recommended that its shareholders reject Burns Philp’s $1.85 per share offer because it was not good enough.

“We are looking at alternate proposals, and will look at creating whatever alternative proposals (that) we can put to our shareholders that would be value enhancing for them,” chief executive Tom Park told Reuters.

Asked if Goodman would consider a sale strategy that would involve breaking up the company, Park said: “We are actively engaged in that right now.”

He also told Reuters that he would look at any bids that were higher than $1.85 a share.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Burns Philp launched a conditional bid for Goodman, which is four times its size by market value, back in mid-December.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact