The European Commission has granted conditional clearance for Cargill to acquire Archer Daniels Midland’s (ADM) chocolate business in Europe.
Together with the approvals granted earlier by the US Department of Justice, this completes the regulatory approval process for the global deal.
After closing of the transaction, three chocolate, compound and liquor production sites in North America and three chocolate and compound production sites in the UK, Belgium and Germany, as well as more than 650 employees will transfer to Cargill.
The brands Ambrosia, Merckens and Schokinag will join Cargill’s existing portfolio of chocolate brands.
Addressing the European Commission’s competition concerns, Cargill will divest ADM’s industrial chocolate production facility in Mannheim, Germany.
The facility will be kept as a separate entity with its own interim management until an agreement with a prospective buyer has been made.
