Nestle to Buy Jenny Craig

By a WALL STREET JOURNAL Staff Reporter
June 20, 2006; Page B9

In a drive to strengthen its focus on health products, Nestlé SA said it plans to acquire weight-management company Jenny Craig Inc. for about $600 million.

The world's largest food and beverage company by sales said it reached an agreement with a private-equity group including ACI Capital and MidOcean Partners LLP to acquire the U.S.-based nutrition and weight-loss counselor, which has annual sales of more than $400 million.

Nestlé recently identified the nutrition field as a target for business expansion. Nestlé last month bought Uncle Tobys, an Australian maker of health-oriented snacks and cereals, for about $670 million.