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France plans to summon Iran’s ambassador to address its claims the Islamic Republic was behind last month’s cyberattacks on local supermarkets.

The French government has blamed Shahid Kaveh, the cyber unit connected with the Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for the October hacks.

Last month, French food retailers, including Coopérative U,  E. Leclerc and Groupement Mousquetaires, said they had been hit by cyberattacks that affected their refrigeration systems.

France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said the incidents affected 700 stores and “caused significant material damage” due to fires and ruined food estimated at “tens of millions of euros”.

“Thanks to the work of government agencies, we know who is responsible: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, stated on X.

The accusations against Iran follow another round of similar cyberattacks across Europe last week, including in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg.

The UK anti-trust watchdog is seeking remedies from Unilever and McCormick & Co. to allay concerns their merger would hit competition.

McCormick’s $44.8bn acquisition of most of Unilever’s food assets gives rise to a “realistic prospect” of a “substantial lessening of competition” in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said.

The concerns centre on the supply of dry ingredient mixes and, separately, dry sauces to retailers. Both companies now have until 18 November to offer remedies to address the regulator’s findings.

If no suitable remedies are proposed, or if the CMA deems them “insufficient”, the watchdog will refer the transaction for a more in-depth investigation.

The deal, announced in March, is set to see McCormick take over most of the Unilever’s food business, including the Knorr and Hellmann’s brands.

Tyson Foods is planning to partner with rancher group Allied Beef to “strengthen” its US supply chain amid persistent cattle shortages.

The tie-up is intended to establish a “more economically sustainable model” throughout the cattle supply chain, Tyson said.

The move supports Tyson’s plans to fully restore the second production shift at its beef plant in Amarillo in Texas. The company has restarted the second shift and expects it to return to full operation by “summer 2027”.

Tyson cut its forecasts for sales and profits in September, citing “additional pressure” on its beef business in its fiscal fourth quarter.

In August, Tyson also announced plans to consolidate its US beef network, by closing plants in Illinois and Utah, as well as selling a facility in Washington state.

Hain Celestial has emphasised the risk of being unable to continue as a going concern if a deal is not secured with creditors.

Despite raising $115m from the sale of Hain’s North America snacks business earlier this year, the US-based company is lumbered with debts of $523m, or a leverage ratio to EBITDA of 5.3 times.

Hain only had cash on hand of $63m at the end of September. With $586m of debt obligations coming due on 22 December, the future of the business is contingent on securing an extension with its lenders.

While an agreement struck in September with private-equity firm Aurelius for the sale of Hain’s international assets in Europe would have raised $323m in cash to pay down debt, the transaction has yet to be finalised amid talks on a creditor’s agreement.

Spanish olive oil producer Deoleo has agreed to sell its business to competitors Dcoop and Acesur.

Under the terms of the deal, Dcoop and Acesur are to each own 50% of Deoleo Holding.

Deoleo CEO Cristóbal Valdés confirmed the company had agreed a deal to divest an aggregate 91.99% stake in its core subsidiary Deoleo Holding. The transaction values the owner of the Carbonell and Bertolli brands at €520m ($584.5m).

The deal still needs several approvals to cross the finish line. One condition centres on a trademark clause involving Japanese food group Mizkan. The transaction could be derailed if Mizkan notifies Deoleo in writing within two months to terminate any of the Bertolli trademark licence agreements as a result of the change in control.