Just when it seemed there was no truth to rumors of a hostile takeover of French Danone by a U.S. food company, the buzz is back. Late in September more discussion surfaced, this time involving Kraft Foods and again, PepsiCo.
Reuters reported that Danone shares jumped nearly 5%, in mid-September as some investors interpreted comments by French Industry Minister Francois Loos as a sign that France was dropping its efforts to shield the maker of Evian mineral water and Dannon yogurts from a hostile bid.