US: Coca-Cola Q4's results have been buoyed by the acquisition of the North American operations of its largest bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises. Fourth-quarter net sales rose 45% to $10.5bn (£6.5bn), thanks also to strong growth from emerging markets. Russia, Turkey, India, Brazil and South Africa were its best performers.

Whole Foods Market has raised its profit outlook for 2011 on the back of growing consumer confidence. It changed its diluted earnings per share forecast from $1.76 (£1.09) to $1.80, 26% up year-on-year. Like-for-like store sales had gained momentum for the fifth consecutive quarter and at 9.1% were their highest in over four years, it said.

Lower volumes, exchange rates and commodity costs have depressed Sara Lee's second-quarter results. Operating profits for the quarter to 1 January were down 23% to $206m (£128m) year-on-year due to higher commodity costs, but net sales rose 1.8% as international beverage and North American retail operations offset expected declines in North American foodservice and international bakery.

In January, it announced plans to split into two after failing to secure a sufficiently attractive bid for the business as a whole.

FRANCE: Yoplait has attracted nine indicative offers for owner PAI Partners' 50% stake in the company. Shareholders PAI and French dairy co-op Sodiaal are expected to confirm a shortlist of bidders in the next week. Mexico's Grupo Lala and China's Bright Food are expected to be in the mix. Sodiaal, which supplies milk to Yoplait, plans to retain its stake. PAI and Sodiaal rejected a 1.4bn (£1.2bn) offer from Groupe Lactalis for the entire company last year.

ITALY: TV presenter Alessandro Di Pietro has urged consumers to boycott Italy's Pachina tomato variety, claiming prices were being inflated by the Mafia controlling distribution. Italians were paying up to 11 times more than the price growers received for the fruit, he claimed. Italian environment minister Stefania Prestigiacomo warned that Di Pietro's comments risked damaging the livelihoods of producers.