The office of Fair Trading has given members of the public until next Thursday to raise objections to a merger of two of the country’s main distributors of Israeli kosher products, Osem UK and Yarden GB.

A notice posted on the OFT’s website within the past few days has invited comments on Osem’s “anticipated acquisition” of Yarden.

An official explained this as a routine procedure to check whether a deal would reduce competition to the point of warranting investigation.

Andrew Cohen, general manager of Osem UK, was unable to comment, and his Yarden counterpart, Eli Batashvili, was unavailable. A spokesman for Nestlé International SA, which majority owns Osem UK, said: “We do not comment on market rumours.”

Osem makes snacks, cakes and ready meals. Yarden’s range goes from chilled meats to wines.