KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bloomberg reported on July 27 that Tyson Foods Inc. is closing in on acquiring Keystone Foods, a major supplier to McDonald’s Corp. Keystone is a subsidiary of Brazil’s Marfrig Global Foods.
The report indicated that Marfrig is seeking more than $3 billion for their partner meat company. Keystone has also reportedly received bids from Cargill, George’s Inc., China’s Cofco Ltd. and an unidentified Japanese firm, according to Bloomberg.
Marfrig purchased Keystone Foods in June 2010.
In August of 2017, Marfrig planned an initial public offering of Keystone Foods, but it did not occur.
In April, Marfrig agreed to acquire 51 percent of Kansas City, Missouri-based National Beef Packing Co. The company paid $969 million for equity interest in National Beef, which reported sales of $7.3 billion in 2017, making it the fourth-largest beef processor in the world.
Keystone Foods is a longtime supplier of burger patties, poultry and fish to McDonald’s Corp.