Brussels, Oct. 18 - The European Commission Thursday extended its antitrust review of U.S. food giant Kraft Foods Inc.'sacquisition of Groupe Danone SA's cookie and cereal division by two weeks.
The regulator will now deliver its judgment on the case by Nov. 11.
The extension will allow the commission to consider solutions put forward by Kraft to overcome potential competition concerns, the commission said.
Kraft is paying $7.2 billion for the unit, which includes the Lu, Prince and Tuc brands.
During the past few years Danone has focused its business on bottled water and dairy products, while Kraft has been looking to expand its snack-foods business, which accounted for 29% of the company's sales in 2006.