4.450% Senior Notes due
2016
J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
As representatives of the Several Underwriters
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c/o
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J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
270 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10179
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Kellogg Company, a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue
and sell to the several Underwriters listed in Schedule 1
hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as
representatives (the “Representatives”), $750,000,000
principal amount of its 4.450% Senior Notes due 2016 (the
“Securities”). The Securities will be issued pursuant
to an Indenture, dated as of May 21, 2009 (the
“Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New
York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the
“Trustee”).
1.
Registration Statement . The Company has prepared and filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(collectively, the “Securities Act”), a registration
statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-159303), including a
prospectus (the “Basic Prospectus”), relating to the
debt securities to be issued from time to time by the Company. The
Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration
statement,” as defined in Rule 405 of the Act, that
automatically became effective not more than three years prior to
the date hereof. The Company has also filed, or proposes to file,
with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities
Act a prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Securities
(the “Prospectus Supplement”). The registration
statement, as amended at the time it becomes effective, including
the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or
430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration
statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430
Information”), is referred to herein as the
“Registration Statement”; and as used herein, the term
“Prospectus” means the Basic Prospectus as supplemented
by the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the
Securities in the form first used to confirm sales (or made
available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the
Securities Act) of the Securities and the term “Preliminary
Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus supplement, if
any, specifically relating to the Securities together with the
Basic Prospectus. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein
shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus. References herein to the Registration
Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the
Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents
incorporated by reference therein. The terms
“supplement,” “amendment” and
“amend” as used herein as used herein with respect to
the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the
Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any
documents
filed by the
Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the
“Exchange Act”) subsequent to the date of this
Underwriting Agreement which are deemed to be incorporated by
reference therein. For purposes of this Underwriting Agreement, the
term “Effective Time” means each effective date of the
Registration Statement with respect to the offering of Securities,
as determined for purposes of Section 11 of the Securities
Act.
At or prior to
2:30 P.M., New York City time, on May 18, 2009 (the
“Time of Sale”), the Company will prepare certain
information (collectively, the “Time of Sale
Information”) which information will include the Preliminary
Prospectus and which will be identified in Schedule 2 hereto
for such offering of Securities as constituting part of the Time of
Sale Information.
2.
Purchase of the Securities by the Underwriters .
(a) The Company agrees to issue and sell the Securities to the
several Underwriters named in Schedule 1 hereto, and each
Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and
agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth
herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the
Company the respective principal amount of Securities set forth
opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule 1 hereto at
a purchase price equal to 99.336% of the principal amount thereof
plus accrued interest, if any, from May 21, 2009 to the
Closing Date (as defined below). The Company will not be obligated
to deliver any of the Securities except upon payment for all the
Securities to be purchased as provided herein.
(b) Payment
for and delivery of the Securities shall be made at the offices of
Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago, Illinois at 9:00 A.M., Chicago time, on
May 21, 2009, or at such other time or place on the same or
such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter,
as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing.
The time and date of such payment and delivery is referred to
herein as the “Closing Date.”
(c) Payment
for the Securities shall be made by wire transfer in immediately
available funds to the account specified by the Company to the
Representatives against delivery to the nominee of The Depository
Trust Company, for the account of the Underwriters, of one or more
global notes representing the Securities (collectively, the
“Global Note”), with any transfer taxes payable in
connection with the sale of the Securities duly paid by the
Company. The Global Note will be made available for inspection by
the Representatives not later than 12:00 P.M., Chicago time,
on the business day prior to the Closing Date.
(d) The
Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters named in the
Underwriting Agreement are acting solely in the capacity of an
arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with
respect to any offering of Securities contemplated hereby
(including in connection with determining the terms of the
offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an
agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally, no such
Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any
legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any
jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors
concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own
independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions
contemplated hereby, and such Underwriters shall have no
responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto.
Any review by such Underwriters named in the Underwriting Agreement
of the Company, the transactions
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contemplated
thereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be
performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not
be on behalf of the Company.
3.
Representations and Warranties of the Company . The Company
represents and warrants to each Underwriter that:
(a)
Registration Statement and Prospectus . The Registration
Statement is an “automatic shelf registration
statement” as defined under Rule 405 of the Securities
Act that has been filed with the Commission not earlier than three
years prior to the date hereof; and no notice of objection of the
Commission to the use of such registration statement or any
post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2)
under the Securities Act has been received by the Company. No order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been
issued by the Commission and, to the Company’s knowledge, no
proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the
Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering has
been initiated or threatened by the Commission; as of the Effective
Time, the Registration Statement complied in all material respects
with the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as
amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(collectively, the “Trust Indenture Act”), and did not
or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of
the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto
and as of the Closing Date, the Prospectus did not and will not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading; provided that
the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to
(i) that part of the Registration Statement that constitutes
the Statement of Eligibility (Form T-1) of the Trustee under the
Trust Indenture Act or (ii) the information contained in or
omitted from the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement
thereto, in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of the
Underwriters through the Representatives specifically for inclusion
therein. The statistical and market-related data included in the
Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company
reasonably believes to be reliable and accurate.
(b) Time
of Sale Information . The Time of Sale Information, at the Time
of Sale and at the Closing Date did not and will not, contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or 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; provided that the Company makes no representation and
warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in
reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any
Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter
through the Representatives expressly for use in such Time of Sale
Information. No statement of material fact included in the
Prospectus has been omitted from the Time of Sale Information and
no statement of material fact included in the Time of Sale
Information that is required to be included in the Prospectus has
been omitted therefrom.
(c)
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus . The Company (including its
agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their
capacity as such) has not prepared, made, used, authorized,
approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize,
approve or refer to any “written communication” (as
defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that
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constitutes an
offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities
(each such communication by the Company or its agents and
representatives (other than a communication referred to in clauses
(i), (ii) and (iii) below) an “Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus”) other than (i) any document not
constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of
the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act,
(ii) the Preliminary Prospectus, (iii) the Prospectus,
(iv) the documents listed on Schedule 2 hereto as
constituting the Time of Sale Information and (v) any
electronic road show or other written communications, in each case
approved in writing in advance by the Representatives. Each such
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complied in all material respects
with the Securities Act, has been or will be (within the time
period specified in Rule 433) filed in accordance with the
Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and, when taken
together with the Preliminary Prospectus accompanying, or delivered
prior to delivery of, or filed prior to the first use of such
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, and at the Closing Date
will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or 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; provided that the Company makes no
representation and warranty with respect to any statements or
omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in
reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any
Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter
through the Representatives expressly for use in any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus.
(d)
Incorporated Documents . The documents incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the
Time of Sale Information, when they were filed with the Commission,
conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the
Exchange Act, and any further documents so filed and incorporated
or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement or Prospectus, when such documents are filed with the
Commission, will conform in all material respects to the
requirements of the Exchange Act; and the documents incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when
read together with the other information in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, at the time filed did not, and at the
Closing Date will not, contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading.
(e) No
Material Adverse Effect . Since the respective dates as of
which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Time
of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there has not been any
material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably
be likely to result in a material adverse change, in the general
affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity
or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken
as a whole, whether or not in the ordinary course of business (a
“Material Adverse Change”), in each case, otherwise
than as set forth or contemplated in the Registration Statement,
the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.
(f)
Organization and Good Standing . The Company has been duly
incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good
standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with the
corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its
business as described in the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus; the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation
to transact business and is in good standing in each other
jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by
reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the
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conduct of
business, except where the failure to qualify or to be in good
standing would not have a material adverse effect on the general
affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity
or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken
as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”); each of the
Subsidiaries has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as
a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction
of its incorporation, with the corporate power and authority to own
its properties and conduct its business as described in the Time of
Sale Information and the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a
foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in
each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required,
whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the
conduct of business, except where the failure to qualify, to have
been duly incorporated or to be in existence or good standing would
not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(g)
Capitalization . All of the issued shares of capital stock
of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and
are fully paid and non-assessable; except as otherwise disclosed in
the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the
Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or
other ownership interests of each Subsidiary have been duly
authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable
and (except for shares necessary to qualify directors or to
maintain any minimum number of stockholders required by law or are
immaterial to the Company’s ability to control such
Subsidiary) are or, at the Closing Date will be, owned by the
Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any
security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or
equity except (i) as described in the Registration Statement,
the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus and (ii) for
such security interests, mortgages, pledges, liens, encumbrances,
claims or equities that are immaterial to the Company and the
Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(h) Due
Authorization . This Underwriting Agreement has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(i) The
Indenture . The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed
and delivered by the Company and has been duly qualified under the
Trust Indenture Act and constitutes a valid and legally binding
agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited
by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting the
enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or by equitable
principles relating to enforceability.
(j) The
Securities . The Securities have been duly authorized and, when
issued and authenticated in the manner provided for in the
Indenture and delivered as provided herein, will have been duly
executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will constitute
valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, will be
entitled to the benefits of the Indenture and will be enforceable
against the Company in accordance with the terms thereof, except as
enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency
or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’
rights generally or by equitable principles relating to
enforceability.
(k)
Descriptions of Documents . The Indenture and the Securities
will each conform, in all material respects, to the descriptions
thereof in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information
and the Prospectus.
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(l) No
Violation or Default . The issue and sale of the Securities and
the compliance by the Company and the Subsidiaries, as applicable,
with all of the provisions of the Securities, the Indenture, this
Underwriting Agreement and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated herein and therein, will not conflict with or result
in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or
constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition
of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any of the property or
assets of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries pursuant to the
terms of, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit
agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or
any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any
of the Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or
assets of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is subject, except
where any such conflict, breach, violation, default, creation or
imposition (individually or in the aggregate) would not reasonably
be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or a material adverse
effect on the ability of the Company and the Subsidiaries to
perform their respective obligations hereunder; nor will such
action result in any violation of the provisions of the Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, or the By-Laws of the
Company, or the charter or bylaws of any of Kellogg USA Inc.,
Kellogg Company of Great Britain Limited or Keebler Foods Company
(collectively, the “Significant Subsidiaries”); nor
will such action result in any violation of the provisions of any
statute or law or any order, rule or regulation of any court or
governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or
any of the Subsidiaries or any of their properties, except where
any such violation (individually or in the aggregate) would not
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or a
material adverse effect on the ability of the Company and the
Subsidiaries to perform their respective obligations
hereunder.
(m) No
Consents Required . No consent, approval, authorization, order,
registration, filing or qualification of or with any court or
governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or
any of the Subsidiaries or any of their properties is required for
the issue and sale of the Securities or the consummation of the
other transactions contemplated by the Indenture and this
Underwriting Agreement, except for such consents, approvals,
authorizations, orders, registrations, filings or qualifications
which shall have been obtained or made prior to the Closing Date or
as may be required by the securities or blue sky laws of the
various states, the Securities Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the
securities laws of any jurisdiction outside the United States in
which the Securities are offered.
(n) Legal
Proceedings . Other than as set forth in the Registration
Statement, the Time of Sale Information or the Prospectus, there
are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the
Company or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or of which any
property of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is the subject
which would reasonably be expected to, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect or which would materially
and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions
contemplated under this Underwriting Agreement or the Indenture;
and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such
proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental
authorities or threatened by others.
(o)
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP . PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who
have audited certain financial statements of each of the Company
and its subsidiaries and delivered their reports with respect to
the audited financial statements of each of the Company and its
subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm
with respect to the Company
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within the
applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the
Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
(United States).
(p)
Financial Statements . The financial statements of the
Company and its subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference
in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and
Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the financial
condition, results of operations and cash flows of each of the
Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates and for
the periods indicated, comply in all material respects as to form
with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act
and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and have been prepared in
conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on
a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as
otherwise noted therein); the selected financial data set forth
under the captions “Selected Consolidated Financial
Data” and “Capitalization” in the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus fairly present in all material
respects, the information included therein.
(q)
Disclosure Controls . The Company maintains required
“disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in
Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) and the
Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures”
are designed to provide reasonable assurance that material
information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports
that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is communicated to
the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely
decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company and its
subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of
their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15
of the Exchange Act.
(r)
Accounting Controls . The Company “maintains a
system of internal control over financial reporting” (as such
term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that
complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been
designed by the Company’s principal executive officer and
principal financial officer, or under their supervision, to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles; as of January 3, 2009, the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting is effective and the
Company is not aware of any changes in its internal control over
financial reporting that have materially affected, or are
reasonably likely to materially affect, its internal control over
financial reporting.
(s)
Sarbanes-Oxley Act . The Company is in compliance in all
material respects with all applicable provisions of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations
promulgated in connection therewith.
(t)
Compliance with Environmental Laws . Neither the Company nor
any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any statute, any rule,
regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or
any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or
release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the
protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to
hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, “Environmental
Laws”), owns or operates any real property contaminated with
any substance that is subject to any environmental laws, is liable
for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any
environmental laws, or is subject to any claim relating to any
environmental laws, which
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violation,
contamination, liability or claim would individually or in the
aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company is not
aware of any pending investigation which might lead to such a
claim.
(u) Title
to Intellectual Property . The Company and the Subsidiaries
own, possess, license or have other rights to use, on reasonable
terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks,
trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights,
licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other
intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual
Property”) necessary for the conduct of their respective
businesses as now conducted free and clear of any material security
interests, claims, liens or encumbrances, except as would not
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or as set
forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Time of
Sale Information and the Prospectus; and none of the Intellectual
Property, to the knowledge of the Company, conflicts with the valid
trademark, trade name, copyright, patent, patent right or
intangible asset of any other person to the extent that such
conflict has or would reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(v)
Investment Company . The Company is not, and upon the
issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the
application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Time
of Sale Information and the Prospectus will not be, an
“investment company” within the meaning of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(w) No
Stabilization . Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates
nor any person acting on its or their behalf (other than the
Underwriters, as to whom the Company makes no representation) has
taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or that
constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or
constitute, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, the stabilization
or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to
facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(x)
Forward-Looking Statements . No forward-looking statement
(within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and
Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale
Information and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without
a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good
faith.
(y)
Status Under the Securities Act. The Company was a
“well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in
Rule 405 under the Securities Act (A) at the time of
filing the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most
recent amendment to the Registration Statement for the purpose of
complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether
such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report
filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or
form of prospectus filed pursuant to the Securities Act), and
(C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf
(within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the
Securities Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in
reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Securities
Act; and the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as
defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act at the earliest
time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the
Company or any Underwriter made a bona fide offer (within the
meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the
Securities.
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4.
Further Agreements of the Company . The Company covenants
and agrees with each Underwriter that:
(a)
Filings with the Commission . The Company will file the
Prospectus in a form approved by the Underwriters with the
Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act not
later than the close of business on the second business day
following the date of determination of the public offering price of
the Securities or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be
required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the
Securities Act. The Company will file any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus (including the Term Sheet in the form of Schedule 3
to the Unde
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