RE:and some saidThe company's CEO said it would be years. This is in reference to infant formula from 0-6 months as it must be comparable to the gold standard, ie mother's milk.
If Danone is interested in Else as anything more than a licensing partner, they may try to negotiate a right of first refusal which would not bind them to acquiring Else but would allow them to keep other buyers away. I would expect a large equity stake to be part of any ROFR clause.