House Foods America Corp., the Garden Grove, Calif., subsidiary of House Foods Corp. Japan, acquired El Burrito Mexican Food Products, Inc., a leading healthy Mexican food brand based in City of Industry, Calif. The transaction includes substantially all of the assets of the company, which will be renamed El Burrito Mexican Foods Products Corp., and become a subsidiary of House Foods Holding USA Inc. The financial terms of the sale have not been disclosed.

"El Burrito is an established and successful company that has grown and prospered at the hands of its founders, Mark and Grace Roth, who share a great passion for their products," says Shigeru Natake, president of House Foods America. "El Burrito's corporate philosophy is very similar to that of House Foods America, so we believe we will enjoy great synergy as we work together in the future. Adding healthy Mexican food products to our existing Asian line will allow us to offer consumers a wider variety of healthy lifestyle choices. In the U.S. market, where many different cultures co-exist, we anticipate accelerated growth and expanded profits as a result."

El Burrito Mexican Food Products is said to be the first company in California to offer fresh salsas sold in the deli and meat departments of local grocery stores. In the 1990s, El Burrito pioneered soy products with traditional Mexican food flavor with Soyrizo, the oldest and leading soy meat analogue brand in the Mexican food segment.