Nestle Confirms Interest in Gerber

A Nestle SA executive told a group of investors that the company is, indeed, interested in buying Gerber Products Co., confirming reports that the Swiss company had pursued the baby foods maker, the Associated Press reported today. Finance chief Paul Polman implied at the investor conference that Gerber’s parent company, Novartis, which is also based in Switzerland, was not interested in selling its U.S.-based subsidiary. Reports have circulated since last November, when the Wall Street Journal reported that Nestle was interested in acquiring Gerber. Late last year, Nestle, which has U.S. headquarters in Glendale, announced the acquisition of Novartis’s diet and nutritional supplement businesses, a deal that did not include the Gerber brand.