Prepared and packaged salads producer Vitacress Salads has been bought by Portuguese conglomerate RAR Group in a deal reportedly worth £50m.

Vitacress is based in the south of England and recorded turnover of £81m last year. It is the largest supplier of watercress, baby leaf spinach and rocket in Europe.

The deal, which is subject to approval from the Portuguese Competition Commission, would enable Vitacress to increase the scale of its operations, particularly in the Iberian market, RAR Group said.