MINNEAPOLIS — General Mills, Inc. has entered into negotiations with PAI Partners and Sodiaal, the owners of Yoplait SAS, to acquire a controlling role in the operating company and a 50% interest in Yoplait SAS.

Yoplait SAS is 50% held by the private equity firm PAI Partners and the French dairy cooperative Sodiaal. PAI Partners has expressed interest in selling its stake in the yogurt manufacturer.

Under the proposed transaction, for which terms were not disclosed, General Mills will partner with Sodiaal in expanding and growing the Yoplait brand and businesses in France, Europe and around the world. General Mills and Sodiaal have been business partners for decades. General Mills has licensed the Yoplait brand since 1977, and is Yoplait’s largest licensee. It has grown its Yoplait business to a leadership position in the yogurt category in the United States, one of the world’s largest fresh dairy markets.