Monsanto Co. sold the last of its...

Monsanto Co. sold the last of its sweetener businesses and the NutraSweet brand name for $440 million to an investor group that includes former Monsanto managers. The former unit will be called NutraSweet Co. and be based in Chicago, said Nick Rosa, chief executive of the new company. Monsanto, the farm chemicals company that merged with Pharmacia & Upjohn to become Pharmacia Corp., also sold its equity interest in two European sweetener joint ventures, NutraSweet and Euro-Aspartame, to Tokyo-based food and chemical maker Ajinomoto Co. for $67 million.

*

Guide to Our Staff: Need to reach Business section reporters or editors? A guide to the section’s staff can be found at: https://www.latimes.com/bizstaff.