Unilever vies with Hormel to buy Reckitt food unit: Sunday Times

LONDON (Reuters) - Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever (ULVR.L)(UNc.AS) is vying with U.S. canned meat producer Hormel Foods Corp (HRL.N) to buy the foods division of British consumer goods maker Reckitt Benckiser, the Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing sources.

Unilever and Hormel are front-runners in a deal that is likely to top 2.2 billion pounds ($2.9 billion), the unidentified sources told the Sunday Times.

Earlier this month Reckitt (RB.L), which owns the French's mustard brand, trimmed its sales forecasts, becoming one of the first companies to put a cost on a global cyber attack in June that disrupted its manufacturing and distribution.

($1 = 0.7632 pounds)

(Reporting by Andy Bruce)