Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., Jackson, Miss., signed a letter of intent to acquire substantially all of the assets of Foodonics International, Inc., doing business as Dixie Egg Co., including the commercial egg production and processing facilities with capacity for approximately 1.6 million laying hens and feed production, milling and distribution facilities in Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Dixie Egg also has contract arrangements for an additional 1.5 million laying hens.

Cal-Maine Foods will also acquire the Egg-Land’s Best, Inc. franchise, based in Cedar Knolls, N.J., with licensing rights for portions of certain markets in Alabama, Florida and Georgia as well as Puerto Rico, Bahamas and Cuba. The company expects to close the transaction in early October.

Cal-Maine Foods is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packing and sale of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic and nutritionally-enhanced eggs.