EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Competition

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 16/06/2022

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32022M10653

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 16.6.2022 C(2022) 4280 final

PUBLIC VERSION

Estavayer Lait SA C/O Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund Limmatstrasse 152 8031 Zürich Switzerland

Givaudan SA Chemin de la Parfumerie 5 1214 Vernier Switzerland

Bühler AG Gupfenstrasse 5 9240 Uzwil Switzerland

Dear Sir or Madam,

1.On 19 May 2022, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the undertakings Estavayer Lait SA (‘Estavayer Lait’, Switzerland), part of Migros Group, Givaudan SA (‘Givaudan’, Switzerland) and Bühler AG (‘Bühler’, Switzerland), intend to acquire within the meaning of Articles 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of a newly created joint venture company, Cultured Food Innovation Hub (Switzerland).

1OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’) has introduced certain changes, such as the replacement of ‘Community’ by ‘Union’ and ‘common market’ by ‘internal market’. The terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.

2OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 (the ‘EEA Agreement’).

3Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 218, 2.6.2022, p. 9.

Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel, BELGIË

Tel: +32 229-91111. Fax: +32 229-64301. E-mail: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu.

2.The concentration is accomplished by way of acquisition of shares in the newly created joint venture company.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

-− Estavayer Lait is active in the production and packaging of dairy products, the production and ripening of cheeses, the production of cold sauces and the manufacturing of plant based dairy, cheese and meat alternative products,

-− Givaudan is a global manufacturer and supplier of fragrance and flavor products to the food, beverage and consumer goods industries. It also produces aroma chemicals that can be used as ingredients in the production of flavor or fragrance compounds,

-− Bühler is a globally active technology company which provides technological solutions for plants, equipment and related services for processing foods and manufacturing advanced materials. Its core activities are in technologies for transforming grain into flour and animal feeds, producing pasta and chocolate, and manufacturing die cast components.

4.Cultured Food Innovation Hub will provide facilities and knowledge to accelerate the R&D work of third companies which are interested in becoming active in the area of cultured meat, cultured fish and seafood, as well as precision fermentation. Cultured meat, fish or seafood is a meat, fish or seafood produced by in vitro cell cultures of animal cells.

5.After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger Regulation and of paragraph 5(b) of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.

6.For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the European Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.

For the Commission

(Signed) Olivier GUERSENT Director-General

4OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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