Veteran investor Terry Smith has accused Unilever of misleading him in connection with the company’s plans to separate its food business and combine it with McCormick. Smith, the founder of Fundsmith, says he was told by Unilever management ahead of the food divestment that there would be no further major asset sales. The comments come after Unilever agrees a deal to spin off its food unit and merge it with McCormick, a transaction valued by some reports at around $66 billion. Smith has also recently sold out of his Unilever position entirely. According to the accounts, he argues that the assurances he received did not align with the company’s subsequent actions or the deal structure. The reporting describes the dispute as one focused on communications and expectations set before the spin-off, rather than on the commercial rationale of the transaction itself. Unilever’s response is not included in the provided excerpts.