US agri-foods group BUNGE (turnover USD 11.5 bn in 2001 with 18,000 employees in 20 countries) has acquired the European leader in bottled vegetable oils CEREOL ("Lesieur" oil ). The agreement was concluded with Italian firm EDISON, which owns 54.69% of CEREOL (turnover of EUR 5.2 bn in 2001 with 6,100 employees), one of four agri-foods companies that developed out of the split up of ERIDANIA BEGIN-SAY, subsidiary of EDISON in July 2001.