PILGRIM's Food Masters, which was created following the £703m acquisition of Kerry Group's consumer foods' meats and meals division, which owns Richmond and Wall's sausage brands and Fridge Raiders snacks, in June, has started trading.

Kerry Group agreed to sell its meats and meals business in the UK and Ireland, which manufactures food-to-go and meatfree products, to American corporate Pilgrim's Pride for €819m (£707m).

Pilgrim's Food Masters is the new name which the group will trade under since completing the deal. Chief executive Nick Robinson will continue to head up the newly formed food group, which employs around 4,500 people across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

"This is the start of an exciting new chapter in our history as we join the Pilgrim's family and we're feeling confident and ambitious about what the future holds," said Robinson in a statement.

In a statement, the chilled food products business said its headquarters would remain in the UK.

"We're delighted to welcome new colleagues into the Pilgrim's family who share our values and are passionate about sustainable growth," added Fabio Sandri, Pilgrim's chief executive.

(c) 2021 City A.M., source Newspaper