Japanese dairy products group Snow Brand Milk Products has been hit by the news that compatriot trading house Itochu has decided to halt negotiations to merge their respective frozen food businesses.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

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

Find out more


The talks has already suffered one setback, when Itochu put the merger plans on ice in February to give Snow Brand time to recover from a scandal involving fraudulent mislabelling of beef.


The head of the Itochu frozen food arm, Yayoi, is quoted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun as saying he was concerned the Snow Brand difficulties may spill over to Yayoi if they merged.


Itochu is believed to have agreed to tell Snow Brand in spring of next year whether it is willing to resume talks.


 

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