Food market news of the week - M&A talk over Africa's Promasidor, TreeHouse Foods' woes, Dean Foods subject of Chinese takeover rumours

The M&A rumour mill was whirring this week, with PepsiCo and Ajinomoto linked to interest in buying a stake in African business Promasidor, while Dean Foods was said to be on the radar of China's Hangzhou Wahaha Group. In the UK, an industry conference in London discussed the possible impact Brexit could have on the sector and Muller announced plans to close a local dairy plant. And in the US, Lancaster Colony snapped is to buy bakery firm Angelic Bakehouse and TreeHouse Foods' challenge with the assets it acquired from ConAgra Foods was laid bare in the company's third-quarter results.