TYSON FOODS, INC. (a Delawarecorporation) 2.650% Senior Notes due 2019 3.950% Senior Notes due 2024 4.875% Senior Notes due 2034 5.150% Senior Notes due 2044 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

EX-1.1 2 d770620dex11.htm EX-1.1 EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

EXECUTION VERSION

 

 

 

TYSON FOODS, INC.

(a Delaware corporation)

2.650% Senior Notes due 2019

3.950% Senior Notes due 2024

4.875% Senior Notes due 2034

5.150% Senior Notes due 2044

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

Dated: August 5, 2014

 

 

 


TYSON FOODS, INC.

(a Delaware corporation)

$1,000,000,000 2.650% Senior Notes due 2019

$1,250,000,000 3.950% Senior Notes due 2024

$500,000,000 4.875% Senior Notes due 2034

$500,000,000 5.150% Senior Notes due 2044

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

August 5, 2014

MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10179

As Representatives of the several Underwriters

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Tyson Foods, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (“J.P. Morgan”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the “Representatives”), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective principal amounts set forth in Schedule A hereto of $1,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 2.650% Senior Notes due 2019 the (the “2019 Notes”), $1,250,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 3.950% Senior Notes due 2024 the (the “2024 Notes”), $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 4.875% Senior Notes due 2034 the (the “2034 Notes”) and $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 5.150% Senior Notes due 2044 the (the “2044 Notes” and, together with the 2019 Notes, the 2024 Notes and the 2034 Notes, the “Securities”). The Securities are to be issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of June 1, 1995 (the “Base Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as successor trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by a supplemental indenture with respect to each series of notes (each, a “Supplemental Indenture”), dated as of the Closing Time (as defined below), among the Company, Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Guarantor”), and the Trustee, relating to the Securities. The Base Indenture as supplemented by each Supplemental Indenture is hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Indenture.” Each series of the Securities will be guaranteed on an unsecured senior basis by the Guarantor in the manner described in the applicable Supplemental Indenture (the “Guarantees”).

 

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The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.

Pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated July 1, 2014 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, The Hillshire Brands Company, a Maryland corporation (“Hillshire”) and HMB Holdings, Inc., a Maryland corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“HMB”), and subject to the conditions contained therein, HMB will merge with and into Hillshire (the “Merger”), with Hillshire continuing as the surviving entity and as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-197661), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses, which registration statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the rules and regulations of the Commission (the “1933 Act Regulations”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “1933 Act”). Such registration statement covers the registration of the Securities under the 1933 Act. Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430B (“Rule 430B”) of the 1933 Act Regulations and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 (“Rule 424(b)”) of the 1933 Act Regulations. Any information included in such prospectus that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of and included in such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B is referred to as “Rule 430B Information.” Each prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Securities that omitted Rule 430B Information is herein called a “preliminary prospectus.” Such registration statement, at any given time, including any amendments thereto to such time, the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at such time and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included therein by 1933 Act Regulations, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at the time of the execution of this Agreement and any preliminary prospectuses that form a part thereof, is herein called the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be.

 

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SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties.

(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company and the Guarantor. The Company and the Guarantor jointly and severally represent and warrant to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time referred to in Section 1(a)(ii) hereof and as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agree with each Underwriter, as follows:

(i) Status as a Well-Known Seasoned Issuer. (A) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the 1933 Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act or form of prospectus), (C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations and (D) at the date hereof, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”), including not having been and not being an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405, and the Securities, since their registration on the Registration Statement, have been and remain eligible for registration by the Company and the Guarantor on a Rule 405 “automatic shelf registration statement”. The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form.

At the time of filing the Registration Statement, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405.

(ii) Registration Statement, Prospectus and Disclosure at Time of Sale. The Registration Statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 462(e)”), and, if filed, any post-effective amendments thereto have also become effective upon filing under Rule 462(e). No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.

Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Securities made prior to the filing of the Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement, to qualify such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the 1933 Act provided by Rule 163.

At the respective times the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations and at the Closing Time, the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “1939 Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1939 Act (the “1939 Act Regulations”), and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 

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Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Time, included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

Each preliminary prospectus (including the prospectus or prospectuses filed as part of the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto) complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T and except for filing fees information.

As of the Applicable Time (as defined below), neither (x) the Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below), the Final Term Sheet (as defined in Section 3(b)), all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (y) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:

“Applicable Time” means 5:30 P.M. (Eastern time) on August 5, 2014 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, including the Final Term Sheet, (ii) is a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).

“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule C hereto.

“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.

“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof.

Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that

 

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the issuer notified or notifies the Representatives as described in Section 3(e), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified.

The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

(iii) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations or the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”), as applicable, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, (a) at the time the Registration Statement became effective, (b) at the earlier of the time the Prospectus was first used and the Applicable Time and (c) at the Closing Time, did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(iv) Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which has certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the 1933 Act.

(v) Hillshire’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, at the time it certified certain financial statements of Hillshire and its subsidiaries, was an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the 1933 Act, and Deloitte & Touche LLP, which has certified certain financial statements of Hillshire and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the 1933 Act.

(vi) Company Financial Statements. The financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, and the related notes thereto, included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their consolidated cash flows for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis, except as described in the notes to such financial statements, and the supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in such Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein.

(vii) Hillshire Financial Statements. To the knowledge of the Company or the Guarantor, the financial statements of Hillshire and its consolidated subsidiaries, and the related notes thereto, included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Hillshire and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their consolidated cash flows for the periods specified; said financial statements

 

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have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis, except as described in the notes to such financial statements, and the supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in such Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein.

(viii) Pro Forma Financial Statements. The pro forma consolidated financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and the related notes thereto set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information contained therein, have been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X with respect to pro forma financial statements and have been properly presented on the bases described therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein.

(ix) Forward-Looking and Supporting Information. Each of the statements (including the assumptions described therein) included in the Registration Statement and the General Disclosure Package and to be made in the Prospectus (and any supplements thereto) within the coverage of Rule 175(b) under the Securities Act, including (but not limited to) the statements contained under the caption “Fiscal 2014 Outlook” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2013 and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended December 28, 2013 and March 29, 2014, each of which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, was made with a reasonable basis and in good faith.

(x) No Material Adverse Change in Company Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, there has not been any material adverse change, or any development known by the Company and the Guarantor (after diligent inquiry) that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change in or affecting the business, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (any such change being referred to hereafter as a “Material Adverse Change”), otherwise than as set forth, incorporated by reference or contemplated in the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus; and except as set forth, incorporated by reference or contemplated in the Prospectus neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(xi) No Material Adverse Change in Hillshire Business. To the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, there has not been any material adverse change, or any development known by the Company and the Guarantor (after diligent inquiry) that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change in or affecting the business, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth, incorporated by reference or contemplated in the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus; and, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, except as set forth, incorporated by reference or contemplated in the Prospectus neither the Hillshire nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) material to the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

 

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(xii) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the state of its incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties, or conducts any business, so as to require such qualification, other than where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(xiii) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each of (i) the Company’s subsidiaries that constitutes a “significant subsidiary” of the Company within the meaning of Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the Commission (collectively, the “Material Subsidiaries”) and (ii) to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire and each of Hillshire’s subsidiaries that will constitute a “significant subsidiary” of the Company within the meaning of Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the Commission (collectively, “Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation or limited liability company, as the case may be, under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, with corporate or limited liability company (as the case may be) power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation or limited liability company, as the case may be, for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, other than where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of Hillshire and Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or equity interests, as the case may be, of each Material Subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully-paid and non-assessable, and (except in the case of foreign subsidiaries, for directors’ qualifying shares) are owned by the Company, directly or indirectly, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests and claims.

(xiv) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Guarantor.

(xv) Authorization of the Securities, the Indenture and the Guarantees. The Securities have been duly authorized by the Company and, when duly executed, issued and delivered by the Company as provided in the Indenture (assuming due authentication of the Securities by the Trustee) and paid for as provided herein, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law), and entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture; the Indenture has been duly authorized and is duly qualified under the 1939 Act; the Base Indenture has been duly executed and delivered by the Company, and when the Supplemental Indentures have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and the Guarantor (assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture by the Trustee) the Indenture will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Guarantor, enforceable against the Company and the Guarantor in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers),

 

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reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); the Guarantees have been duly authorized by the Guarantor and, when the Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered as provided in the Indenture and paid for as provided herein, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Guarantor, enforceable against the Guarantor in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law), and entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture; and the Securities and the Indenture will conform in all material respects, to the descriptions thereof in the Prospectus.

(xvi) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its Material Subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire nor any of Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries, is, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both would be, in violation of or in default under, its certificate or articles of incorporation, by-laws, certificate or articles of formation, limited liability company operating agreement or other comparable constituent documents, as the case may be, or any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries or Hillshire or Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them or any of their respective properties is bound, except for violations and defaults which individually or in the aggregate are not material to the Company and its subsidiaries or Hillshire and its subsidiaries, as applicable, taken as a whole, or to the holders of the Securities; the issue and sale of the Securities (and the Guarantees) and the performance by the Company and the Guarantor of all of their obligations under the Securities (and the Guarantees), the Indenture and this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other material agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is subject, except for conflicts, breaches or defaults that, singly or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of any such matter relating to Hillshire, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the transactions contemplated hereby, nor will any such action result in any violation of the provisions of (A) the certificate or articles of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or the Guarantor or (B) any applicable law or statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company, its Material Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, except, in the case of (B) above, for violations that, singly or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, or on the transactions contemplated hereby; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Securities (and the Guarantees) or the consummation by the Company and the Guarantor of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Indenture, the Securities or the Guarantees, except such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as have been obtained under the 1933 Act, the 1939 Act and as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky Laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters.

 

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(xvii) Absence of Labor Dispute. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no labor disputes exist with employees of the Company or of its Material Subsidiaries or, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire and Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries, that would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of any such matters relating to Hillshire and its subsidiaries, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(xviii) Absence of Proceedings. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or the Guarantor, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire or any of Hillshire’s subsidiaries, is or may be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire or any of Hillshire’s subsidiaries, is or may be the subject which would, individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of any such matters relating to Hillshire and its subsidiaries, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the transactions contemplated hereby and, to the best of the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened by governmental authorities or threatened by others; and there are no contracts or other documents of a character required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which are not filed or described as required.

(xix) Possession of Intellectual Property. Each of the Company and its Material Subsidiaries and, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, each of Hillshire and Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries, owns or possesses the right to use the patents, patent licenses, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) reasonably necessary to carry on the business conducted by each as conducted on the date hereof, except to the extent that the failure to own or possess the right to use such Intellectual Property would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of any such matters relating to Hillshire and its subsidiaries, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and, except as set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any Material Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire or any of Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries, has received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property, except for notices the content of which if accurate would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of any such matters relating to Hillshire and its subsidiaries, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(xx) Absence of Further Requirements. No material filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary or required for the performance by the Company and the Guarantor of their obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities (and the Guarantees) hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or for the due execution, delivery or performance of the

 

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Indenture by the Company and the Guarantor, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities laws and except for the qualification of the Indenture under the 1939 Act.

(xxi) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its Material Subsidiaries and, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire and Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries, have all licenses, franchises, permits, authorizations, approvals and orders of and from all governmental and regulatory officials and bodies that are necessary to own or lease and operate their properties and conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus and that are material in relation to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except where the failure to possess such licenses or authorizations would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of any such matters relating to Hillshire and its subsidiaries, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(xxii) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company”, as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(xxiii) Environmental Laws. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its Material Subsidiaries and, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire and Hillshire’s Material Subsidiaries, is in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health or the environment or imposing liability or standards of conduct concerning any Hazardous Material (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, in the case of any such matters relating to Hillshire and its subsidiaries, a material adverse effect on the Company, its subsidiaries, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The term “Hazardous Material” means (i) any “hazardous substance” as defined by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, (ii) any “hazardous waste” as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, (iii) any petroleum or petroleum product, (iv) any polychlorinated biphenyl, and (v) any pollutant or contaminant or hazardous, dangerous, or toxic chemical, material, waste or substance regulated under or within the meaning of any other Environmental Law.

(xxiv) Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its subsidiaries and, to the Company’s and the Guarantor’s knowledge, Hillshire and each of its subsidiaries, maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (1) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (2) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (3) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (4) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal

 

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year, there has been (I) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (II) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

The Company and its subsidiaries maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the 1934 Act); such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms.

(xxv) Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, or to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, Hillshire or any of Hillshire’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

(xxvi) Pending Proceedings and Examinations. The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the 1933 Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities.

(xxvii) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or as described in any other periodic reports of the Company filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the last three years, within the past three years, none of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, Hillshire, any of Hillshire’s subsidiaries, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or Hillshire or any of Hillshire’s subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a material violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in the furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA, and except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or as described in any other periodic reports of the Company filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the last three years, the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, its affiliates and affiliates of Hillshire have conducted their businesses in compliance in all material respects with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

 

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(xxviii) Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, Hillshire and its subsidiaries, are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and its subsidiaries or Hillshire and its subsidiaries, respectively, conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no material action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, threatened. To the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, no material action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving Hillshire or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, threatened

(xxix) OFAC. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, Hillshire, any of its subsidiaries or any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or person acting on behalf of the Company, Hillshire or any of their respective subsidiaries is currently the subject or target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or Hillshire located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions; and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, to fund any activities of or business with any person or entity, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person or entity (including any person or entity participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions.

(xxx) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor the Guarantor has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.

(b) Officer’s Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

(a) Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, the aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Notes, the aggregate principal amount of 2024 Notes, the aggregate principal amount of 2034 Notes and the aggregate principal amount of the 2044 Notes set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule A hereto at a price equal to 99.334% of the principal amount thereof with respect to the 2019 Notes, 99.046% of the principal amount thereof with

 

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respect to the 2024 Notes, 99.111% of the principal amount thereof with respect to the 2034 Notes and 98.730% of the principal amount thereof with respect to the 2044 Notes, plus any additional principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof.

(b) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Securities shall be made at the offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, 767 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10153, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (Eastern time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Time”).

Payment shall be made to, or for the benefit of, the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Securities which it has agreed to purchase. The Representatives, each individually and not as representatives of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Securities to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

(c) Denominations; Registration. The Securities shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time. The Securities will be made available for examination and packaging by the Representatives in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the business day prior to the Closing Time.

SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company and the Guarantor. The Company and the Guarantor jointly and severally covenant with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests; Payment of Filing Fees. The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or the filing of a new registration statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or for additional information relating to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or such new registration statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will effect the filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it

 

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will promptly file such prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment. The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) (i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the 1933 Act Regulations (including, if applicable, by updating the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)).

(b) Filing of Amendments and Exchange Act Documents; Preparation of Final Term Sheet. The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities or any amendment, supplement or revision to either any preliminary prospectus (including any prospectus included in the Registration Statement or amendment thereto at the time it became effective) or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, and the Company will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. The Company has given the Representatives notice of any filings made pursuant to the 1934 Act or 1934 Act Regulations within 48 hours prior to the execution of this Agreement; the Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to make any such filing from the execution of this Agreement to the Closing Time and will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object; provided, however, that with respect to any proposed amendment or supplement resulting solely from the incorporation by reference of any report to be filed under the Exchange Act, the Representatives shall be deemed to have consented to the filing or use of such report if the Company receives no acknowledgment of receipt or other response from the Representatives within 24 hours of being provided such report. The Company will prepare a final term sheet (the “Final Term Sheet”), attached hereto as Schedule B, reflecting the final pricing and other terms of the Securities, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, and shall file such Final Term Sheet as an “issuer free writing prospectus” pursuant to Rule 433 no later than the date of first use; provided that the Company shall furnish the Representatives with copies of any such Final Term Sheet a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not use or file any such document to which the Representatives or counsel to the Underwriters shall reasonably object.

(c) Delivery of Registration Statement. Upon request, the Company will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, conformed copies of the Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof) and conformed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or

 

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supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations and the 1939 Act and the 1939 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or to file a new registration statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable (if it is not an automatic shelf registration statement with respect to the Securities) and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as the Underwriters may reasonably request. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement (or any other registration statement relating to the Securities) or the Statutory Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

(f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities and the Guarantees for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for so long as reasonably required for the distribution of the Securities; provided, however, that neither the Company nor the Guarantor shall be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. The Company will also supply the Underwriters with such information as is reasonably necessary for the determination of the legality of the Securities for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters may request.

(g) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”

 

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(i) Restriction on Sale of Securities. During the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing to and including the Closing Time, the Company and the Guarantor will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, directly or indirectly, issue, sell, offer or contract to sell or grant any option for the sale of, any debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company or the Guarantor.

(j) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

(k) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission; provided, however, that prior to the preparation of the Final Term Sheet in accordance with Section 3(b), each Underwriter is authorized to use the information with respect to the final terms of the Securities in communications conveying information related to the offering to investors. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Representatives or by the Company and the Representatives, as the case may be, is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.

SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.

(a) Expenses. The Company and the Guarantor jointly and severally agree to pay all expenses incident to the performance of their respective obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters, the Indenture, certificates representing the Securities and such other documents as may reasonably be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s and the Guarantor’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Underwriters to investors, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Securities, (ix) the costs and expenses incurred by or on behalf of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities, and (x) any fees payable in connection with the rating of the Securities.

(b) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5(l) or Section 9(a)(i) hereof, the Company and the Guarantor jointly and severally agree to reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including

 

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the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters; provided, however, if the Underwriters fail to purchase the Securities because of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 10 or the occurrence of any event specified in clauses (ii), (iii)(B), (iv) and (v) of Section 9(a), the Company and the Guarantor shall not be responsible for the expenses of any of the Underwriters as described above. Except as provided in this Section 4 and Sections 6 and 7 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay their own expenses, including the fees and disbursements of their counsel.

SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Guarantor contained in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Time or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof as of the respective dates of such certificates, to the performance by the Company and the Guarantor in all material respects of their covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Filing of Prospectus; Payment of Filing Fee. The Registration Statement has become effective and at the Closing Time and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantor, threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing the Rule 430B Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and become effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430B). The Final Term Sheet and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act Regulations shall have been timely filed. The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time period required by Rule 456(1)(i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the 1933 Act Regulations and, if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).

(b) Opinions of Counsel for the Company. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinions, dated as of the Closing Time, of (i) Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Company and the Guarantor, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto and (ii) R. Read Hudson, Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, each in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters.

(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Time, of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives. In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York, the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

 

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(d) Officers’ Certificate. At the Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package, any Material Adverse Change, and the Representatives shall have received (A) a certificate of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no Material Adverse Change since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied in all material respects with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, threatened by the Commission, and (B) a certificate of an executive officer of the Guarantor, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (ii) the Guarantor has complied in all material respects with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time, and (iii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to such officer’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.

(e) CFO Certificate. The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate of the chief financial officer of the Company, dated the date hereof and the Closing Time, each in the form of Exhibit C hereto.

(f) Accountant’s Comfort Letter (Company). At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(g) Accountant’s Comfort Letter (Hillshire). At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from each of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(h) Bring-down Comfort Letter (Company). At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (f) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Time.

(i) Bring-down Comfort Letter (Hillshire). At the Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from each of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP a letter, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (g) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Time.

 

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(j) Maintenance of Rating. At the Closing Time, the Securities shall be rated at least Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and BBB- by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and the Company shall have delivered to the Representatives a letter dated the Closing Time, from each such rating agency, or other evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, confirming that the Securities have at least such ratings; and since the date of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred a downgrading in the rating assigned to the Securities or any of the Company’s other debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical organization,” as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the 1933 Act, below the levels described in this Section 5(j).

(k) Additional Documents. At the Closing Time, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities (and the Guarantees) as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company and the Guarantor in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities (and the Guarantees) as herein contemplated shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.

(l) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by written notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Closing Time, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 6. Indemnification.

(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company and the Guarantor jointly and severally agree to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations (each, an “Affiliate”), its selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and

 

19


(iii) against any and all expenses whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information or any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

(b) Indemnification of the Company, the Guarantor and Directors and Officers of the Company and the Guarantor. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Guarantor and each of their respective directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company or the Guarantor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information or any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the following: the tenth and eleventh paragraphs of the section entitled “Underwriting” in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights and defenses) as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representatives, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act

 

20


by or on behalf of any indemnified party. Subject to Section 6(d) hereof, no indemnified party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnifying party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which such indemnification or contribution would be sought hereunder.

(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a) (ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

SECTION 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Guarantor, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Guarantor, on the one hand, and of the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

The relative benefits received by the Company and the Guarantor, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.

The relative fault of the Company and the Guarantor, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Guarantor or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

Each of the Company, the Guarantor and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

 

21


Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act and each Underwriter’s Affiliates and selling agents shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director or officer of the Company or the Guarantor and each person, if any, who controls the Company or the Guarantor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company or the Guarantor, as appropriate. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the respective principal amount of Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.

SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates or selling agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company or the Guarantor, and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Securities.

SECTION 9. Termination of Agreement.

(a) Termination; General. The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) or the General Disclosure Package, a Material Adverse Change, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) (A) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange, or (B) if trading generally on the NYSE Amex, the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement, or (iv) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

 

22


SECTION 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Time to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:

(a) if the principal amount of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or

(b) if the principal amount of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement, either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Time for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.

SECTION 11. Tax Disclosure. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, immediately upon commencement of discussions with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, the Company (and each employee, representative or other agent of the Company) may disclose to any and all persons, without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided to the Company relating to such tax treatment and tax structure. For purposes of the foregoing, the term “tax treatment” is the purported or claimed federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the term “tax structure” includes any fact that may be relevant to understanding the purported or claimed federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby.

SECTION 12. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to Morgan Stanley at Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, 29th Floor, New York, New York 10036, attention of Investment Banking Division, with a copy to the Legal Department, and to J.P. Morgan at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179, attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, Tel: 212 ###-###-####, Fax: 212 ###-###-####; and notices to the Company and the Guarantor shall be directed to them c/o Tyson Foods, Inc., 2200 Don Tyson Parkway, Springdale, Arkansas ###-###-####, attention of Chief Financial Officer.

 

23


In accordance with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

SECTION 13. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company and the Guarantor, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, the Guarantor, or their stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company or the Guarantor with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company or the Guarantor on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company or the Guarantor with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company or the Guarantor, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company and the Guarantor have consulted their own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent they have deemed appropriate.

SECTION 14. Integration. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company, the Guarantor and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

SECTION 15. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon each of the Underwriters, the Company, the Guarantor and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company, the Guarantor and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the Company, the Guarantor and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 16. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

SECTION 17. TIME. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

 

24


SECTION 18. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.

SECTION 19. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

25


If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company and the Guarantor a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Underwriters, the Company and the Guarantor in accordance with its terms.

 

Very truly yours,
TYSON FOODS, INC.
By  

/s/ Susan White

  Name:   Susan White
  Title:   Vice President and Treasurer
TYSON FRESH MEATS, INC.
By  

/s/ Susan White

  Name:   Susan White
  Title:   Vice President and Treasurer

 

26


CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC
By  

/s/ Yurij Slyz

  Name: Yurij Slyz
  Title: Executive Director
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
By  

/s/ Robert Bottamedi

  Name: Robert Bottamedi
  Title: Vice President
For themselves and as Representatives of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.

 

27


SCHEDULE A

 

Name of Underwriter

   Principal
Amount of the
2019 Notes
     Principal
Amount of the
2024 Notes
     Principal
Amount of the
2034 Notes
     Principal
Amount of the
2044 Notes
 

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

   $ 400,000,000       $ 500,000,000       $ 200,000,000       $ 200,000,000   

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

     275,000,000         343,750,000         137,500,000         137,500,000   

RBC Capital Markets, LLC

     100,000,000         125,000,000         50,000,000         50,000,000   

HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.

     45,000,000         56,250,000         22,500,000         22,500,000   

Mizuho Securities USA Inc.

     45,000,000         56,250,000         22,500,000         22,500,000   

Rabo Securities USA, Inc.

     45,000,000         56,250,000         22,500,000         22,500,000   

U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

     45,000,000         56,250,000         22,500,000         22,500,000   

Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc.

     22,500,000         28,125,000         11,250,000         11,250,000   

Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.

     22,500,000         28,125,000         11,250,000         11,250,000   

Total

   $ 1,000,000,000       $ 1,250,000,000       $ 500,000,000       $ 500,000,000   

 

Sch A-1


SCHEDULE B

Final Term Sheet

 


Filed pursuant to Rule 433

Dated August 5, 2014

Issuer Free Writing Prospectus supplementing the

Preliminary Prospectus Supplement

dated August 5, 2014 and the

Prospectus dated July 28, 2014

Registration No. 333-197661

Tyson Foods, Inc.

Final Term Sheet

$1,000,000,000 2.650% Senior Notes due 2019

 

Issuer:

  Tyson Foods, Inc.

Guarantor:

  Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc.

Format:

  SEC Registered

Ranking:

  Senior Unsecured

Size:

  $1,000,000,000

Trade Date:

  August 5, 2014

Settlement Date:

  August 8, 2014

Final Maturity:

  August 15, 2019

Interest Payment Dates:

  Semi-annually on February 15 and August 15

First Interest Payment Date:

  February 15, 2015

Pricing Benchmark:

  1.625% due July 31, 2019

UST Spot (Price/Yield):

  99-26 / 1.664%

Spread to Benchmark:

  T+100 bps

Yield to Maturity:

  2.664%

Coupon:

  2.650%

Public Offering Price:

  99.934%

Underwriting Spread:

  0.600%

Day Count:

  30/360

Make Whole Call:

  T + 15 bps

Par call:

  On or after 1 month prior to the maturity date

Special Mandatory Redemption:

  If the Hillshire Brands Acquisition described in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement is not completed on or prior to April 1, 2015, or if, prior to such date, the Merger Agreement is terminated, 101%.

Minimum Denominations/Multiples:

  Denominations of $2,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof

Joint Bookrunning Managers:

  Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
  J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mizuho Securities USA Inc.

Co-managers:

  RBC Capital Markets, LLC
  Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
  U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
  Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.


CUSIP:

  902494 AW3

ISIN:

  US902494AW36

Exchange Listing:

  None

$1,250,000,000 3.950% Senior Notes due 2024

 

Issuer:

  Tyson Foods, Inc.

Guarantor:

  Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc.

Format:

  SEC Registered

Ranking:

  Senior Unsecured

Size:

  $1,250,000,000

Trade Date:

  August 5, 2014

Settlement Date:

  August 8, 2014

Final Maturity:

  August 15, 2024

Interest Payment Dates:

  Semi-annually on February 15 and August 15

First Interest Payment Date:

  February 15, 2015

Pricing Benchmark:

  2.50% due May 15, 2024

UST Spot (Price/Yield):

  100-03+ / 2.487%

Spread to Benchmark:

  T+150 bps

Yield to Maturity:

  3.987%

Coupon:

  3.950%

Public Offering Price:

  99.696%

Underwriting Spread:

  0.650%

Day Count:

  30/360

Make Whole Call:

  T + 25 bps

Par call:

  On or after 3 months prior to the maturity date

Special Mandatory Redemption:

  If the Hillshire Brands Acquisition described in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement is not completed on or prior to April 1, 2015, or if, prior to such date, the Merger Agreement is terminated, 101%.

Minimum Denominations/Multiples:

  Denominations of $2,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof

Joint Bookrunning Managers:

  Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
  J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
  U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Co-managers:

  RBC Capital Markets, LLC
  HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mizuho Securities USA Inc.
  Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.

CUSIP:

  902494 AX1

ISIN:

  US902494AX19

Exchange Listing:

  None


$500,000,000 4.875% Senior Notes due 2034

 

Issuer:

  Tyson Foods, Inc.

Guarantor:

  Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc.

Format:

  SEC Registered

Ranking:

  Senior Unsecured

Size:

  $500,000,000

Trade Date:

  August 5, 2014

Settlement Date:

  August 8, 2014

Final Maturity:

  August 15, 2034

Interest Payment Dates:

  Semi-annually on February 15 and August 15

First Interest Payment Date:

  February 15, 2015

Pricing Benchmark:

  3.625% due February 15, 2044

UST Spot (Price/Yield):

  106-18 / 3.276%

Spread to Benchmark:

  T+160 bps

Yield to Maturity:

  4.876%

Coupon:

  4.875%

Public Offering Price:

  99.986%

Underwriting Spread:

  0.875%

Day Count:

  30/360

Make Whole Call:

  T + 25 bps

Par call:

  On or after 6 months prior to the maturity date

Special Mandatory Redemption:

  If the Hillshire Brands Acquisition described in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement is not completed on or prior to April 1, 2015, or if, prior to such date, the Merger Agreement is terminated, 101%.

Minimum Denominations/Multiples:

  Denominations of $2,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof

Joint Bookrunning Managers:

  Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
  J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mizuho Securities USA Inc.

Co-managers:

  RBC Capital Markets, LLC
  Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
  U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
  Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.

CUSIP:

  902494 AZ6

ISIN:

  US902494AZ66

Exchange Listing:

  None


$500,000,000 5.150% Senior Notes due 2044

 

Issuer:

  Tyson Foods, Inc.

Guarantor:

  Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc.

Format:

  SEC Registered

Ranking:

  Senior Unsecured

Size:

  $500,000,000

Trade Date:

  August 5, 2014

Settlement Date:

  August 8, 2014

Final Maturity:

  August 15, 2044

Interest Payment Dates:

  Semi-annually on February 15 and August 15

First Interest Payment Date:

  February 15, 2015

Pricing Benchmark:

  3.625% due February 15, 2044

UST Spot (Price/Yield):

  106-18 / 3.276%

Spread to Benchmark:

  T+190 bps

Yield to Maturity:

  5.176%

Coupon:

  5.150%

Public Offering Price:

  99.605%

Underwriting Spread:

  0.875%

Day Count:

  30/360

Make Whole Call:

  T + 30 bps

Par call:

  On or after 6 months prior to the maturity date

Special Mandatory Redemption:

  If the Hillshire Brands Acquisition described in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement is not completed on or prior to April 1, 2015, or if, prior to such date, the Merger Agreement is terminated, 101%.

Minimum Denominations/Multiples:

  Denominations of $2,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof

Joint Bookrunning Managers:

  Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
  J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
  U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Co-managers:

  RBC Capital Markets, LLC
  HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mizuho Securities USA Inc.
  Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc.
  Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.

CUSIP:

  902494 AY9

ISIN:

  US902494AY91

Exchange Listing:

  None

This communication is intended for the sole use of the person to whom it is provided by us.


The issuer has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC toll-free at ###-###-#### or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC collect at ###-###-####.

ANY DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES THAT MAY APPEAR BELOW ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS COMMUNICATION AND SHOULD BE DISREGARDED. SUCH DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES WERE AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMMUNICATION BEING SENT VIA BLOOMBERG OR ANOTHER EMAIL SYSTEM.


SCHEDULE C

GENERAL USE FREE WRITING PROSPECTUS

1. Free Writing Prospectus dated August 5, 2014.

2. Final Term Sheet, a copy of which is attached in Schedule B.

 

Sch C-1


ANNEX A

GENERAL DISCLOSURE PACKAGE

 

1. The Preliminary Prospectus;

 

2. Free Writing Prospectus dated August 5, 2014; and

 

3. The Final Term Sheet.

For purposes of determining the “General Disclosure Package,” the information contained in the foregoing shall be considered together.


Exhibit A

FORM OF OPINION OF DAVIS POLK & WARDWELL LLP

TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 5(b)(i)

[See attached.]

 

A-1


Exhibit B

FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY COUNSEL

TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 5(b)(ii)

[See attached.]

 

B-1


Exhibit C

FORM OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CERTIFICATE

TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 5(e)

[See attached.]

 

C-1