U.S. agricultural trader Archer Daniels Midland Co on Monday denied a report that it was bidding on Unilever Plc’s spreads business, which includes Flora and Stork margarines.
British newspaper the Times had reported that ADM was planning to make a move for part of the Unilever unit. ADM said in a statement that it was not submitting a bid.
ADM and its rivals have been investing in higher-margin businesses such as food ingredients and natural flavorings to prop up slumping results from core grain trading and processing operations. Strong margins in sweeteners and starches helped prop up ADM’s second-quarter earnings.
Shares of ADM were up 0.4 percent at $42.67 in midday trading.
By Mark Weinraub
Source: Reuters
Nestle SA has accelerated its product development process by 60% since 2016, according to the company. The faster speed to market has been achieved through a restructuring of its research and development process. Now the company is investing in various forms of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to further improve its R&D process and generate better results.
German chemicals distributor Brenntag has confirmed potential takeover talks with US rival Univar Solutions and is understood to be debating the feasibility of a potential acquisition in the coming months. Univar Solutions confirms that it has received a preliminary indication of interest from Brenntag regarding a potential transaction.
Cargill has announced the acquisition of Owensboro Grain Company, a soybean processing facility and refinery located in Kentucky. The purchase of the Owensboro-based company will support Cargill’s efforts to “modernise and increase capacity across its North American oilseeds network to support growing demand for oilseeds driven by food, feed and renewable fuel markets”.
