Ralcorp Said to Have Taken Only a Month on ConAgra Deal

Ralcorp Holdings Inc., the food maker that spent much of last year rebuffing ConAgra Foods Inc., took only about a month to forge terms with its suitor this time around, said people familiar with the matter.

Typically a deal would take at least five or six months, said one of these people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations were private. ConAgra approached Ralcorp in late October, said the people, and announced the $5 billion takeover yesterday.