Brazilian beef giant JBS, which is the world’s largest meat processor, has received regulatory approval to go ahead with its $230m deal to acquire Plumrose USA, a prepared and convenience foods business based in Illinois. The deal was first announced in early March but required clearance from US antitrust authorities.

JBS will take control of the Plumrose business from Danish Crown, the world’s largest pork exporter, which has decided to focus its business on northern Europe and Asian markets. With annual sales of $500m, Plumrose USA produces prepared foods including bacon, hams, sliced deli meats and cooked ribs, with sales in both the retail and foodservice channels. The company employs more than 1,200 across its business.

The deal for Plumrose will give JBS control of five pork processing plants located in Indiana, Iowa (two), Mississippi and Vermont, as well as two distribution centres located in Indiana and Mississippi. JBS says the acquisition of Plumrose will “enhance the company’s presence in the prepared and convenience foods business in the US, particularly in the meat-based snacks category”.

The deal for Plumrose is JBS’s second major acquisition of a pork company in the US over the last number of years. In July 2015, JBS paid close to $1.5bn to acquire the US pork business of Cargill. More recently, JBS has been at the centre of the Brazilian meat scandal, which erupted in March, when Brazilian authorities raided a number of JBS processing facilities.