The Competition and Markets Authority has accepted the concessions made by US food group Hain Celestial to buy UK fruit juice player Orchard House Foods.

The CMA had previously raised concerns about Hain’s December 2015 takeover of Orchard House given they are the “only two suppliers of own-label freshly squeezed fruit juice to supermarket retailers” and the two “main suppliers of own-label freshly squeezed fruit juice to retailers such as cafes and restaurants”.

In response Hain proposed to sell its own-label freshly squeezed fruit juice business to Multiple Marketing Limited instead of letting the deal be referred for an in-depth investigation

The CMA announced today it has “accepted in principle” Hain’s proposal.

It said, before reaching a final decision, it is inviting interested parties to comment on whether the proposed undertakings are appropriate to remedy the competition concerns that the CMA has identified.

The deadline for responses is 2 September 2016.

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