June 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission

said on Wednesday that candy giant Mars' proposed $36 billion

takeover of Pringles maker Kellanova ( K ) did not meet the

standard for an anticompetitive merger and that the regulator

was ending its review of the deal.

"Our job is to determine whether there is a violation of

American law that we can prove in court. And once we've

concluded there is not, our job is to get out of the way,"

Bureau of Competition Director Daniel Guarnera said in an FTC

statement announcing the early termination of the investigation.