7. change in accounting principles
Effective January 1, 2002, Bunge adopted SFAS No. 142. SFAS No. 142 supersedes APB Opinion No. 17, Intangible Assets, and changes the accounting for goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives acquired individually or with a group of other assets, and those acquired in a business combination, by eliminating prospectively the amortization of all existing and newly acquired goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives. SFAS No. 142 requires goodwill and other intangible assets to be tested at least annually for impairment. Separable other intangible assets that are not deemed to have an indefinite life will continue to be amortized over their useful lives. The amortization provisions of SFAS No. 142 apply immediately to goodwill and intangible assets acquired after June 30, 2001. SFAS No. 142 also requires that companies complete a transitional goodwill impairment test within six months from the date of adoption.
In accordance with the transitional guidance and the adoption of SFAS No. 142, Bunge completed a transitional impairment test computed based on a discounted cash flow and recorded a charge of $14 million, net of tax of $1 million as of January 1, 2002 for goodwill impairment losses. This impairment was related mainly to goodwill in the bakery mixes business line of its former wheat milling and bakery products segment. The goodwill impairment losses are recorded as a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle in Bunge's consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2002. Bunge's other intangible assets were not affected by the adoption of SFAS No. 142.
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