Petroleo Brasileiro SA's former CEO, Pedro Parente, has been invited to lead Brazilian food producer BRF SA, Reuters reported June 13, citing a source familiar with the matter.

Parente, who is the chairman of BRF, left Petrobras on June 1 in the wake of a protest by oil and trucking workers over rising fuel prices. The strike halted production at four of BRF's manufacturing sites due to the shortage of raw material.

The source reportedly told Reuters that Parente would likely be given the go-ahead to assume the CEO position at BRF since there would be no conflict of interest.

The Brazilian poultry supplier has been linked to a food safety probe, which has led to the arrest of former CEO Pedro Faria and other employees.