Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of WhiteWave by Danone, subject to conditions

On the 16 December 2016, the European Commission cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of WhiteWave, a US-based manufacturer of packaged foods and beverages, by the French Danone group.

The Commission's investigation indicated that the proposed transaction would leave only one other competitor, Nestlé, on the market for "growing-up milk" in Belgium. The Commission had concerns that the merged entity would not have faced sufficient competitive pressure from the remaining player in this market.
Furthermore, there would be no other competitor in the plant-based "growing-up milk" segment in Belgium.

The Commission's approval was conditional upon full compliance with Danone'scommitments.