Heinz, Gerber and Beech-Nut are the three firms that dominate the baby food market. However, Heinz was the largest producer of baby food in the world.

Whether the proposed merger between Heinz and Beech-Nut is legal depends on antitrust laws in the United States. The government has the authority to block mergers that will substantially lessen competition, harm consumers, or lead to a monopoly in the market. Since Heinz and Beech-Nut are both major players in the baby food market, the merger may reduce competition and harm consumers by creating a dominant firm with the power to raise prices and reduce product quality. As such, the merger would likely be subject to antitrust review by the Department of Justice or Federal Trade Commission. If the agencies determine that the merger would violate antitrust laws, they could either reject or conditionally approve the deal to address the concerns.