Carnation will acquire a leading fresh pasta maker.

The Los Angeles food company, which makes dairy products and the Contadina line of tomato products, said it agreed to pay $56.1 million for Pasta & Cheese Co. of Long Island, N.Y. The tender offer is contingent on two-thirds of Pasta & Cheese’s 3.4 million shares being tendered to Carnation, a unit of Nestle. Carnation said that it has acquired an option to buy 43% of Pasta & Cheese shares from company officers and members of the Lambert family.