Tayto Group’s acquisition of UK-based The Real Pork Crackling Company has been cleared by the country’s competition watchdog.

The purchase of Tamworth-based The Real Pork Crackling Company was first announced in June for an undisclosed sum from owner Chris Cunliffe. The firm owns the Golden Pork Crunch pork crackling brand and has listings with UK grocers including Sainsbury’s and Asda. It also supplies pork scratchings.  

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

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

Find out more

But the country’s Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into the deal in September to ensure there would be no detrimental impact in terms of competition breaches.

However, the Authority said in a statement today: “The CMA investigated and cleared the completed acquisition by Tayto Group of The Real Pork Crackling Company.”

Tayto also owns brands such as Mr Porky scratchings, Golden Wonder and Real Crisps.  

The family-owned company based in County Armagh in Northern Ireland has been hot on the acquisition trail of late after snapping up UK firm Pop Notch in May. And last year it bought crisp maker Tavern Snacks and Portlebay Popcorn.

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

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