Egg processor plans Noble investment
The Competition and Mergers Authority (CMA) announced that it had cleared the deal last week after putting it on hold in May, pending a 40-day review into whether or not it was anti-competitive.
David Pearson, md, Noble Egg Innovations told FoodManufacture.co.uk that the company was “pleased” with the outcome of the CMA report.
‘More efficient processes’
“This is an exciting time for Noble Egg Innovations,” Pearson said. “We plan to invest more than £3M on improved and more efficient processes at the Harrogate site which will set the business up for the future.
“We are grateful for the continuing support from our customers and would like to thank our colleagues for their continuing hard work and support during the recent period of uncertainty,” he added. “We will now commence the process of integrating the two businesses.”
The CMA inherited the Noble Egg case from the Office of Fair Trading when it was abolished on April 1 this year.
Noble Egg Innovations, the UK’s largest egg packer, clinched a deal in February to take over Manton’s two plants.
Threatening 100 jobs
At the time, local press reports suggested Noble Foods wanted to shift liquid egg processing from Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire, to the acquired facilities this year, shutting the Bilsthorpe site and threatening 100 jobs.
Noble Foods was formed by the merger of Stonegate Farmers and Deans Food Group. However, in April 2007 the Competition Commission required Noble Foods to sell Clifford Kent Holdings, Stonegate’s parent company, to satisfy concerns that its market dominance would lead to higher egg prices.
Aside from handling shell eggs, Noble Foods also processes egg products, owns premium desserts business Gü Puds and Didier’s Patisserie and has poultry processing and feed milling interests. In addition to that, it owns the Happy Eggs brand.
