Chavez threatens leading Venezuela food firm Polar

CARACAS Feb 19 (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez, who has nationalized much of Venezuela's industry, made a vague threat against one of the OPEC nation's leading private-sector companies, Empresas Polar.

Chavez, who aims to convert Venezuela to socialism, claimed that Polar, which makes popular brands of beer and corn flour. was failing to deliver products to a supermarket chain the government recently expropriated from France's Casino (CASP.PA).

"If you keep on like this, I can make a decision that you will not like with respect to all of Polar," Chavez said on Friday, without giving more details.

Polar makes the South American nation's top-selling beer brand and a flour brand used to make the arepa, a grilled corn dough patty that is Venezuela's staple food.

Chavez has nationalized heavy industry and steadily increased the government's role in food distribution as part of his drive to provide cheaper products to the poor.

Chavez said Polar owner Lorenzo Mendoza could be trying to sabotage the government's new supermarkets because Polar was a shareholder in another chain the government is buying from Casino.

"They are angry because we are working on an agreement with the French to take over Cativen, and Polar is going to be left out. They are angry and want to sabotage us." (Reporting by Frank Jack Daniel and Eyanir Chinea, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)