14/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 11 July 2008, the European Commission gave the go-ahead to the planned acquisition of GBI UK-GB Ingredients Ltd and BFP Wholesale Ltd, both in the yeast business and owned by Gilde B.V, by the French yeast manufacturer Compagnie des Levures Lesaffre. The Commission's decision is conditional upon Lesaffre's commitment to divest GBI's yeast production facility in Felixstowe, UK. The Commission's initial market investigation found that the notified deal raised competition concerns in the UK market for liquid and compressed yeast by reducing three competitors to two in the UK with respect to both liquid and compressed yeast. The Commission concluded that the deal, as modified by this commitment, would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it. (O.L.)