Policy

After Revision, DOJ May Sign Off on Beer Merger

Officials fear the combination of Anheuser-Busch InBev and Grupo Modelo would corner the market for piss in a can

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A revision to the proposed $20.1 billion merger of Anheuser-Busch InBev and Grupo Modelo purchase may stay federal antitrust proceedings until March 19.
     This January, the Justice Department filed an antitrust complaint against Budweiser producer Anheuser-Busch InBev as it planned to acquire Grupo Modelo, maker of the country's best-selling imported beer, Corona.
     The federal complaint, filed in the District of Columbia, sought to block the merger and preserve the competition for the nation's $80 billion annual beer market.
     "Because of the size of the beer market in the U.S., even a small increase in the price of beer could result in billions of dollars of harm to American consumers," the Justice Department said in a statement.