Baker McKenzie Partner Ashley Eickhof Speaks with The Deal on Food Supply Chain Executive Order in the US

Baker McKenzie Partner Ashley Eickhof recently spoke with The Deal about the US Administration’s executive order focused on the food supply chain and what it means for dealmakers. Ashley shared three key takeaways:

• Expect heightened scrutiny across the sector and a shift in risk calculations for M&A touching the food value chain — especially with dedicated task forces in place.

• Materials produced in merger reviews can, in some cases, prompt parallel civil or criminal inquiries when red flags (e.g., price fixing, bid rigging, market allocation) are present; M&A can be a catalyst for conduct investigations.

• While the US DOJ Antitrust Division doesn’t promulgate rules like the FTC, we could see joint DOJ/FTC guidance for this sector — so align antitrust strategy early and reinforce compliance.

Subscribers to The Deal can read the full article here.