A hoax device at a well-known hotel outside Cork city is believed to have been planted; Confidential patient notes, operating theatre schedules, and minutes of meetings were repeatedly sent in error to a member of the public for six months; Picky eating in small children may be a sign of serious mental problems that should not be ignored, say experts. Here’s this morning’s irishexaminer.com round-up.

Agri-services group Origin Enterprises has stepped up its non-core asset disposal programme by selling its 32% stake in leading consumer foods group, Valeo Foods, for a cash consideration of nearly €87m.

VALEO Foods — the joint-venture of Batchelors and Origin Enterprises’ branded food division — has acquired iconic Irish consumer food group, Jacob Fruitfield for an undisclosed sum.

CREDITORS owed money on foot of the closure of a private hospital in Cork are seeking advice from a Dublin businessman whose company secured a €526,000 judgement against the developers in the High Court.

FORMER staff at what was the country’s newest private hospital have been told there is no money to pay their wages and they could also face difficulties claiming unemployment benefit because of a lockdown of the Cork Medical Centre (CMC) where their P45s are on file.

A PRIVATE equity firm with a majority stake in the Mater Private hospital is believed to be one of a number of potential investors in discussions with a new hospital which has had to close because it cannot get VHI approval.

ONE of the key players in the agri-food sector has called for a new emphasis on agriculture and food as a means of delivering sustainable economic growth.

IRISH-RELATED merger and acquisition & activity continued to grow during the third quarter, with year-on-year volume growth of 79% measured.

THE Irish food sector continues to offer hope for the future.

Batchelors and Origin Foods are to merge to form Valeo Foods, it was announced today.

CAPVEST, the British-based specialistprivate equity firm rumoured to have been in the bidding to buy Breeo Foods, sold to Kerry Group for €165m, has announced the sale of the Foodvest Group to Lion Capital for a sum of over €1.26 billion.

REOX Holdings is close to a deal with Kerry Group, worth in the region of €170 million, for the sale of its Irish-based consumer foods division, run by its Breeo Foods subsidiary.

KERRY Group has lost out in a €1.7 billion battle to buy Birds Eye frozen foods from Unilever.

Unilever looked set to end its 63-year association with Birds Eye today after agreeing to sell most of its European frozen foods business for £1.16bn (€1.7bn).

Private equity group Permira was today said to be poised to make a bid for the frozen foods arm of Unilever which includes Birds Eye.

KERRY GROUP is reported to have linked up with private equity firms JP Morgan Partners and Blackstone in an attempt to buy Unilever’s frozen foods arm, Birds Eye, which could fetch €1.75 billion.

A CONSORTIUM of private equity firms was yesterday reported to be preparing a €1.4 billion bid for Unilever’s frozen foods arm which includes Birds Eye.