Cleared with remediesArticle 6(1)(b) with conditions and obligations

European Commission case M.1990: Unilever / Hellmann's and Knorr

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition cleared, subject to remedies, Unilever's acquisition of Hellmann's, Knorr and Maizena on 28 September 2000 (case M.1990).^[1]

The European Commission cleared Unilever's acquisition of Bestfoods in Phase I on 28 September 2000 under Article 6(1)(b) with conditions and obligations, after the parties offered divestitures. The case was notified on 16 August 2000 under the then-applicable Council Regulation 4064/89.

Decision facts

Regulator: European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition (EU)
Case number: M.1990
Decision: Cleared with remedies · Article 6(1)(b) with conditions and obligations
Decided: 28 September 2000
Legal basis: EU Merger Regulation (Council Regulation 139/2004; previously 4064/89)

Remedies

divest business — Divestiture commitments in overlapping food categories in several member states.

The deal under review

Acquisition closed Closed 4 October 2000

Unilever acquires Hellmann's, Knorr and Maizena

Unilever acquired Bestfoods, the American food group behind Knorr and Hellmann's, in what was then the largest cash acquisition in the food industry. The European Commission cleared the deal in Phase I subject to divestiture commitments.

Value: $24.3bn
Buyer: Unilever
Seller: Bestfoods
Regulatory: Cleared with remedies

Sources (1) & corrections

Last verified 28 September 2000. Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.

[1] European Commission merger case M.1990 — Unilever / Bestfoods — European Commission, DG Competition, Regulator decision, published 28 September 2000; retrieved 6 September 2026.

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