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Netherlands: NMa conditionally clears merger between Dutch manufacturers of frozen food snacks

By  |  September 25, 2012

The two biggest convenience food manufacturers in the Netherlands, Buitenfood (with its flagship brand Van Dobben) and Ad van Geloven (with its flagship brand Mora), are allowed to merge. The product range of both manufacturers include popular, traditional Dutch frozen food snacks, such as kroketten (cylindrical-shaped, deep-fried battered snacks containing ragout) and bitterballen (similar to kroketten, but then smaller and spherical-shaped). One of the conditions attached to this merger is that Buitenfood is required to transfer to a competitor for a period of six years the license for selling the brand Van Dobben for kroketten and bitterballen to supermarkets. That competitor must change (rebrand) the Van Dobben brand for these two snacks. With this condition, it is prevented that too little competition remains after the merger with regard to the products available to supermarkets and consumers. Less competition could lead to higher prices and/or less quality, according to the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa). 

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