U.S. chocolate maker Hershey Co has decided not to launch a counterbid for British confectioner Cadbury Plc following a unanimous vote by its board late on Wednesday, the Financial Times said, citing a person briefed on the matter.

Earlier this week, Kraft Foods Inc sealed a friendly deal to buy Cadbury for about $19.6 billion (11.9 billion pounds).

Hershey could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.

(Reporting by Shailesh Kuber in Bangalore; Editing by David Cowell)

Cadbury