This was announced by Nutresa, Colombia's largest producer of processed foods, in a statement to the Financial Superintendency.

Grupo Nutresa, the largest producer of processed foods in Colombia, reported on Monday that it has received requests from several international firms interested in buying different stakes in the conglomerate.

In early April, Gilinski Group gained almost full control of Nutresa after a series of transactions involving takeover bids over the course of more than two years.

"The administration has received intentions from several important international companies interested in acquiring relevant segments of Grupo Nutresa SA," indicated a statement to the Financial Superintendency.

"In the course of the powers and in compliance with the fiduciary duty of the Board of Directors, the decision was made to proceed with the hiring of the usual external advisors for this type of operations, with the purpose of advancing a process that maximizes the value for the shareholders, taking into account the regions and sectors where the company has presence," the company added, without offering further details.

Nutresa is a leader in the production of processed foods in Colombia and one of the most relevant players in the sector in Latin America, with direct presence in 17 countries on five continents through 47 production plants and business units in meat, biscuit, chocolates, coffees, ice creams and pastas.

At the end of April, the company reported that its net profit plummeted 40% year-on-year in the first quarter to 204,811 million pesos (US$52.8 million).