Note 2 - Investments in Non-public Companies	12 Months Ended
May. 31, 2015
Notes to Financial Statements
Investment Holdings [Text Block]	2 . Investment s in non-public companies Aesthetic Sciences In December 2005, Landec entered into a licensing agreement with Aesthetic Sciences for the exclusive rights to use Landec's Intelimer® materials technology for the development of dermal fillers worldwide under the agreement. The Company received shares of preferred stock in exchange for the license. Aesthetic Sciences sold the rights to its Smartfil Injector System on July 16, 2010. The royalty period from the sale of the Smartfil Injector System began November 1, 2014 and as a result the Company obtained for the first time during the third quarter of fiscal year 2015 financial information for the products for which a royalty is due Aesthetic Sciences. Based on the review of this historical financial information and discussions with the acquirer, the Company concluded that its investment in Aesthetic Sciences was other than temporarily impaired, and therefore wrote off its remaining $793,000 investment in Aesthetic Sciences as of March 1, 2015 and is included in other income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Windset On February 15, 2011, Apio entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Windset Purchase Agreement”) with Windset. Pursuant to the Windset Purchase Agreement, Apio purchased from Windset 150,000 Senior A preferred shares for $15 million and 201 common shares for $201. On July 15, 2014, Apio increased its investment in Windset by purchasing from the Newell Capital Corporation an additional 68 shares of common stock and 51,211 shares of junior preferred stock of Windset for $11.0 million. After this purchase, the Company’s common shares represent a 26.9% ownership interest in Windset. The non-voting Senior A preferred shares yield a cash dividend of 7.5% annually. The dividend is payable within 90 days of each anniversary of the execution of the Windset Purchase Agreement. The non-voting junior preferred stock does not yield a dividend unless declared by the Board of Directors of Windset and no such dividend has been declared. The Windset Purchase Agreement includes a put and call option, which can be exercised on the sixth anniversary of the Windset Purchase Agreement whereby Apio can exercise the put to sell its common, Senior A preferred shares and junior preferred shares to Windset, or Windset can exercise the call to purchase those shares from Apio, in either case, at a price equal to 26.9% of the appreciation in the fair market value of Windset’s common shares from the date of the Company’s investment through the put and call date, plus the liquidation value of the preferred shares of $20.1 million ($15 million for the Senior A preferred shares and $5.1 million for the junior preferred shares). Under the terms of the arrangement with Windset, the Company is entitled to designate one of five members on the Board of Directors of Windset. On October 29, 2014, Apio further increased its investment in Windset by purchasing 70,000 shares of Senior B preferred shares for $7.0 million. The Senior B Preferred Stock pays an annual dividend of 7.5% on the amount outstanding at each anniversary date of the Windset Purchase Agreement. The Senior B shares purchased by Apio have a put feature whereby Apio can sell back to Windset $1.5 million of shares on the first anniversary, an additional $2.75 million of shares on the second anniversary and the remaining $2.75 million on the third anniversary. After the third anniversary, Apio may at any time put any or all of the shares not previously sold back to Windset. At any time on or after February 15, 2017, Windset has the right to call any or all of the outstanding common shares and at such time must also call the same proportion of Senior A preferred shares, Senior B preferred shares and junior preferred shares owned by Apio. Windset’s partial call provision is restricted such that a partial call cannot result in Apio holding less than 10% of Windset’s common shares outstanding. The investment in Windset does not qualify for equity method accounting as the investment does not meet the criteria of in-substance common stock due to returns through the annual dividend on t he non-voting senior preferred shares that are not available to the common stock holders. As the put and call options require the Purchased Shares to be put or called in equal proportions, the Company has deemed that the investment, in substance, should be treated as a single security for purposes of accounting. The Company has adopted fair value option in the accounting for its investment in Windset effective on the acquisition date. The fair value of the Company’s investment in Windset utilizes significant unobservable inputs in the discounted cash flow models, including projected cash flows, growth rates and the discount rate, and is therefore considered a Level 3 for fair value measurement purposes (see Note 1). The Company believes that reporting its investment at fair value provides its investors with useful information on the performance of the Company’s investment and the anticipated appreciation in value as Windset expands its business. The fair value of the Company’s investment in Windset was determined utilizing the Windset Purchase Agreement’s put/call calculation for value and a discounted cash flow model based on projections developed by Windset, and considers the put and call conversion options. These features impact the duration of the cash flows utilized to derive the estimated fair values of the investment. These two discounted cash flow models’ estimate for fair value, which generally approximate a similar result, is then weighted. Assumptions included in these discounted cash flow models will be evaluated quarterly based on Windset’s actual and projected operating results to determine the change in fair value. During the year ended May 31, 2015, the Company recorded $1.4 million in dividends and in fiscal years ended May 25, 2014 and May 26, 2013, the Company recorded $1.1 million in dividend income. In addition, the Company recorded $3.9 million, $10.0 million and $8.1 million of income for fiscal years ended May 31, 2105, May 25, 2014 and May 26, 2013, respectively, which is included in other income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, from the increase in the fair market value of the Company’s investment in Windset. The Company also entered into an exclusive license agreement with Windset, which was executed in June 2010, prior to contemplation of Apio’s investment in Windset.

Investment

non-public companies

Aesthetic Sciences

In December 2005, Landec entered into a licensing agreement with Aesthetic Sciences for the exclusive rights to use Landec's Intelimer® materials technology for the development of dermal fillers worldwide under the agreement. The Company received shares of preferred stock in exchange for the license. Aesthetic Sciences sold the rights to its

Smartfil Injector System on July 16, 2010. The royalty period from the sale of the Smartfil Injector System began November 1, 2014 and as a result the Company obtained for the first time during the third quarter of fiscal year 2015 financial information for the products for which a royalty is due Aesthetic Sciences. Based on the review of this historical financial information and discussions with the acquirer, the Company concluded that its investment in Aesthetic Sciences was other than temporarily impaired, and therefore wrote off its remaining $793,000 investment in Aesthetic Sciences as of March 1, 2015 and is included in other income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Windset

On February 15, 2011, Apio entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Windset Purchase Agreement”) with Windset. Pursuant to the Windset Purchase Agreement, Apio purchased from Windset 150,000 Senior A preferred shares for $15 million and 201 common shares for $201. On July 15, 2014, Apio increased its investment in Windset by purchasing from the Newell Capital Corporation an additional 68 shares of common stock and 51,211 shares of junior preferred stock of Windset for $11.0 million. After this purchase, the Company’s common shares represent a 26.9% ownership interest in Windset. The non-voting Senior A preferred shares yield a cash dividend of 7.5% annually. The dividend is payable within 90 days of each anniversary of the execution of the Windset Purchase Agreement. The non-voting junior preferred stock does not yield a dividend unless declared by the Board of Directors of Windset and no such dividend has been declared.

The Windset Purchase Agreement includes a put and call option, which can be exercised on the sixth anniversary of the Windset Purchase Agreement whereby Apio can exercise the put to sell its common, Senior A preferred shares and junior preferred shares to Windset, or Windset can exercise the call to purchase those shares from Apio, in either case, at a price equal to 26.9% of the appreciation in the fair market value of Windset’s common shares from the date of the Company’s investment through the put and call date, plus the liquidation value of the preferred shares of $20.1 million ($15 million for the Senior A preferred shares and $5.1 million for the junior preferred shares).

Under the terms of the arrangement with Windset, the Company is entitled to designate one of five members on the Board of Directors of Windset.

On October 29, 2014, Apio further increased its investment in Windset by purchasing 70,000 shares of Senior B preferred shares for $7.0 million. The Senior B Preferred Stock pays an annual dividend of 7.5% on the amount outstanding at each anniversary date of the Windset Purchase Agreement. The Senior B shares purchased by Apio have a put feature whereby Apio can sell back to Windset $1.5 million of shares on the first anniversary, an additional $2.75 million of shares on the second anniversary and the remaining $2.75 million on the third anniversary. After the third anniversary, Apio may at any time put any or all of the shares not previously sold back to Windset. At any time on or after February 15, 2017, Windset has the right to call any or all of the outstanding common shares and at such time must also call the same proportion of Senior A preferred shares, Senior B preferred shares and junior preferred shares owned by Apio. Windset’s partial call provision is restricted such that a partial call cannot result in Apio holding less than 10% of Windset’s common shares outstanding.

The investment in Windset does not qualify for equity method accounting as the investment does not meet the criteria of in-substance common stock due to returns through the annual dividend on

he non-voting senior preferred shares that are not available to the common stock holders. As the put and call options require the Purchased Shares to be put or called in equal proportions, the Company has deemed that the investment, in substance, should be treated as a single security for purposes of accounting. The Company has adopted fair value option in the accounting for its investment in Windset effective on the acquisition date. The fair value of the Company’s investment in Windset utilizes significant unobservable inputs in the discounted cash flow models, including projected cash flows, growth rates and the discount rate, and is therefore considered a Level 3 for fair value measurement purposes (see Note 1). The Company believes that reporting its investment at fair value provides its investors with useful information on the performance of the Company’s investment and the anticipated appreciation in value as Windset expands its business.

The fair value of the Company’s investment in Windset was determined utilizing the Windset Purchase Agreement’s put/call calculation for value and a discounted cash flow model based on projections developed by

Windset, and considers the put and call conversion options. These features impact the duration of the cash flows utilized to derive the estimated fair values of the investment. These two discounted cash flow models’ estimate for fair value, which generally approximate a similar result, is then weighted. Assumptions included in these discounted cash flow models will be evaluated quarterly based on Windset’s actual and projected operating results to determine the change in fair value.

During the year ended May 31, 2015, the Company recorded $1.4 million in dividends and in fiscal years ended May 25, 2014 and May 26, 2013, the Company recorded $1.1 million in dividend income. In addition, the Company recorded $3.9 million, $10.0 million and $8.1 million of income for fiscal years ended May 31, 2105, May 25, 2014 and May 26, 2013, respectively, which is included in other income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, from the increase in the fair market value of the Company’s investment in Windset.

The Company also entered into an exclusive license agreement with Windset, which was executed in June 2010, prior to contemplation of Apio’s investment in Windset.