Ownership Changes Made by Bakery and Dairy Products Companies, 1959-64

Excerpts from the report Summary: During 1959-64, bakery processing companies made an average of 22.0 acquisitions of other establishments per year, a sharp increase (48 percent) from the 1952-58 period. This increase is consistent with the introduction of continuous mix processing and associated technology into the baking industry. While the average of 49.7 acquisitions per year made by dairy processing companies represented a slight decline from the earlier period (7 percent), acquisitions of nondairy firms more than doubled. Large dairy companies made many acquisitions of snack, specialty, and canning and preserving firms. One factor in this trend toward diversification through acquisition was the relative freedom of such acquisition from antitrust citation. The number of bakery and dairy products companies making acquisitions increased substantially during 1959-64. Most companies continued making acquisitions mainly within their respective industries