September 24, 2009

Brasil Foods (PDA), owners of the Perdigao and Sadia brands, is looking toward the US for future growth now that major beef producer JBS SA has become a key competitor in chicken.

Brasil Foods President Jose Antonio Prado Fay, speaking at the BM&FBovespa stock exchange Tuesday, said the company wants to become a known brand not only in its main markets in Russia and the Middle East, but also in the US, business daily Valor Economico reported Wednesday.

"[The] US is a very important market for us and we are not present there at all. We can enter this market either through partnerships or by acquisitions," Fay said.

Beef major JBS acquired Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride last week, marking the company's entry into the chicken market and making it one of the top animal proteins exporter in the world with revenue of US$28.7 billion. By comparison, Sadia and Perdigao's gross revenue in 2008 was around 23 billion Brazilian reals, or US$12.7 billion.