"I spent two days waiting for them to see me, and they never would see me," Jon Huntsman Sr. said. "So I bought a one-way ticket to Miami and a friend introduced me to the head of Burger King and they bought the first clamshell.... Within weeks, McDonald's came to my office and asked if I could produce a similar product for them. There's nothing like a little competition to get somebody's interest."

Huntsman said the payoff from the acquisition will mainly be used to fund research to fight cancer. The senior Huntsman's mother died of breast cancer. His stepmother died of ovarian cancer and his father died of prostate cancer. Huntsman himself has survived three types of cancer.

In addition to fighting cancer, Huntsman said the foundation will also fund efforts at fighting homelessness, helping abused woman and children and rewarding excellence in education.

At least 80 percent of the Huntsman Foundation's charitable giving in the future will be to causes within the state of Utah, Huntsman said.

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E-mail: danderton@desnews.com