Pinnacle Foods, the packaged food maker owned by the Blackstone Group LP is deep in preparations for its initial public offering. The projected proceeds from the IPO is at US$667 million. These facts were read into a regulatory filing made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, as it plans to sell 29 million shares valued between US$18 and US$20 per share.

Should the top price be the basis for the IPO, the owner of Bird Eye and Duncan Hines brands would top off their IPO at US$2.3 billion. The initial placeholder amount was set at US$100 million when it filed for IPO last December but it increased the amount to as much as US$632.5 million.

The company was purchased by Blackstone last 2007 and with the IPO, Blackstone would retain 68% ownership stake in the food maker after the IPO, assuming underwriters would exercise their option to purchase additional shares in the IPO.