Greencore says it has received an approach which may or may not lead to an offer for the company.
In a statement, the company said it had noted the ''movement'' in its share price and said a further announcement will be made when appropriate.
Greencore shares closed up 9.5% at 68 cent this evening in Dublin. They had risen sharply before the announcement.
''The board would like to emphasise that the discussions are at a preliminary stage and there can be no certainty whether any offer will be forthcoming,'' the company added.
In July, Greencore announced a €125m deal to buy UK food group Uniq. That deal came after a planned merger with Northern Foods fell through, after the UK firm withdrew its support in favour of a cash offer from businessman Ranjit Boparan.
