Food Industry Mergers & Acquisitions Continued Upward Trend In 2007, Food Institute Analysis Shows

The upward pace of mergers &acquisitions in the food industry continued in 2007, with a total of 413 transactions completed during the year and an additional 60 agreed upon, but not yet closed by the end of the year, according to The Food Institute, which has been tracking food business mergers &acquisitions for over 25 years. This compares to the 392 deals that were completed in 2006, along with the 59 that were under agreement at the end of that year.

Food processors again led the way, with 94 deals closed and another 16 in development, although the total number of transactions in this category fell 14.5% from 2006.  Investment firms and banks were the second most active group, acquiring 89 food companies. Retailers were also aggressive, with 79 transactions, as were restaurants with 57 deals completed.

The trends were revealed in the just released Food Business Mergers &Acquisitions publication, a 265-page compendium of all such transactions that occurred in the food industry during 2007.

Among the 27 classifications of companies tracked by the Food Institute, 12 experienced an increase in merger activity, while 11 saw a decrease and four remained at the same level as the year before. Notable increases in merger &acquisition activity were seen in the Snack Food, Dairy, Investment Firms &Banks, Restaurants and Convenience Store sectors, while decreases occurred in the Bakers, Meat Processors, Seafood Processors and Multi-Product Processors categories.