Kraft Foods Inc.

Kraft Foods Inc.
Company typePublic
IndustryFood
FoundedDecember 10, 1923 (1923-12-10)
FounderJames L. Kraft
DefunctOctober 1, 2012 (2012-10-01)
FateRenamed to Mondelez International, some assets were spun-off to create Kraft Foods[1][2][3]
Successor
HeadquartersNorthfield, Illinois, U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Irene Rosenfeld (chairman & CEO)
ProductsUltra-processed food

Kraft Foods Inc. (/ˈkræft/) was a multinational confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate.[4] It marketed many brands in more than 170 countries. Twelve of its brands annually earned more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, and Tang.[5] Forty of its brands were at least a century old.[6]

The company was headquartered in Northfield, Illinois, near Chicago.

Kraft was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and became a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average on September 22, 2008, replacing the American International Group.[7] In August 2011, the company announced plans to split into a North American grocery products business and a faster-growing global snacks company.[8] The snacks company, Mondelez International Inc., is recognized as the legal successor to the old Kraft Foods Inc., while the grocery company took over the Kraft Foods name,[9][2] and is now a part of Kraft Heinz.[3]

History

Precursor

Kraft Foods traced its roots to the National Dairy Products Corporation, formed on December 10, 1923, by Edward E. Rieck and Thomas H. McInerney.[10] The firm was initially set up to execute on a rollup strategy in the fragmented United States ice cream industry. Through acquisitions it expanded into a full range of dairy products. By 1930 it was the largest dairy company in the United States and the world, exceeding Borden.

McInnerney operated the Hydrox Corporation, an ice cream company located in Chicago, Illinois. In 1923 he went to Wall Street to convince investment bankers there to finance his scheme for consolidating the United States ice cream industry. He initially found "hard sledding" with one banker saying the dairy industry "lacked dignity". He persevered and convinced a consortium including Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers to finance a roll-up strategy.[11]

As a result of his efforts, National Dairy Products Corporation was formed in 1923 in a merger of McInnerney's Hydrox with Rieck McJunkin Dairy Co of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The resulting firm was then listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the offer of 125,000 shares having been oversubscribed.[12]

The firm grew quickly through a large number of acquisitions. As is typical in a roll-up strategy, acquisitions were primarily for stock in National rather than cash. National Dairy Products Corporation acquired more than 55 firms between 1923 and 1931, with a few notable entities among those being:

Year Firm Sector Location
1924 W.E. Hoffman Ice cream Pennsylvania
1925 Dunkin Ice Cream Ice cream Illinois
1925 Sheffield Farms Fluid milk, ice cream, other New York
1926 Breyer's Ice Cream (dessert products currently owned by Unilever) Ice cream Pennsylvania
1928 Breakstone Brothers Fluid milk, cheese New York
1928 General Ice Cream Ice cream New York, East Coast
1929 Hiland Dairy Fluid milk, other Kentucky
1930 Kraft-Phenix Cheese, other US, international
1931 Consolidated Dairy Products Ice cream, other dairy New York, New Jersey

Beginning

Born in Stevensville, Ontario, Canada, in 1874, James L. Kraft immigrated to the United States in 1903 and started a wholesale door-to-door cheese business in Chicago; its first year of operations was "dismal", losing US$3,000 and a horse. It then took hold and Kraft was joined by his four brothers to form J.L. Kraft and Bros. Company in 1909. As early as 1911, circulars and advertisements were in use by the company.[13]

In 1912, the company established its New York City headquarters to prepare for its international expansion. By 1914, 31 varieties of cheese were sold around the U.S. because of heavy product development, expansion by marketing, and opening a wholly owned cheese factory in Stockton, Illinois.[4][14][15]

In 1915, the company invented pasteurized processed cheese that did not need refrigeration, thus giving a longer shelf life than conventional cheese.[4] The process was patented in 1916 and about six million pounds of the product were sold to the U.S. Army for military rations during World War I.

In 1916, the company began national advertising and had made its first acquisition—a Canadian cheese company.[4]

In 1924, the company changed its name to Kraft Cheese Company and listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange.[4] In 1925, Marye Dahnke began her career at Kraft as the company home economist, the first woman for that sector of the food industry.[16]

In 1926, Kraft was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The listing strengthened the company’s national profile and provided additional capital for expanding its manufacturing and distribution network.

From the mid‑1920s through 1930, Kraft acquired a number of regional dairy and cheese firms as it expanded its national production network. Firms acquired included: [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Year Firm Sector Location
1924[23] P. E. Sharpless Co. Cream cheese, other dairy products Pennsylvania: Concordville, Philadelphia, Toughkenamon; Delaware: Wilmington; New York: New York City[24]
1925[17] Kraft-MacLaren Cheese Co., Ltd.[25] Cheese, other dairy products Canada: Montreal[26]
1925[22] C. D. Reynolds Co. Cold storage New York: Alfred[27]
1925[19] Dairystate Cold Storage Cold storage Wisconsin: Wisconsin Rapids, Plymouth[28]
1926[29] Milani Company Salad dressings Illinois: Chicago[30]
1926[18][20] Bitter Root Valley Cheese Company Cheese, other dairy products Montana: Bitter Root Valley[33]
1926[18][20][22] Burton Creamery Company[34] Butter, Cheese, other dairy products Wisconsin: Afton; Utah: Ogden[35]
1926[29] Laabs Cheese Company[38] Cheese, other dairy products Wisconsin: Dorchestor, Curtiss;[39] Idaho: Burley, Rupert, Paul, Delco,[40] Grace.[41]
1926[29] Plymouth Refrigerating Company[42] Cold storage Wisconsin: Plymouth
1926[29] C. A. Straubel Company[43][44] Cheese wholesales Wisconsin: Green Bay
1927[22] Velveeta Cheese Co Cheese, other dairy products New York: Monroe[45]
1927 A. E. Wright Salad dressings, mayonnaise Illinois: Chicago[20][46]
1928 Phenix Cheese Cheese, other dairy products National
1928 Brodhead Cheese & Cold Storage Co Cheese, other dairy products Wisconsin: Brodhead; New York[20][47]
1928 Southern Dairies[48][49][50] Fluid milk, ice cream, cream, buttermilk, butter[51] D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama[52][53]
1928 Karlen-Bickelhaupt & Co.[20][56] Cheese, other dairy products New York: Rome, Redmond
1928 Miller-Richardson & Co.[20][57][65] Cheese, other dairy products New York
1928[20][21] E. W. Coon Cheese, other dairy products Wisconsin: Wisconsin Rapids, Plymouth
1929[22] Henard Mayonnaise Co[48][49][50] Mayonnaise Tennessee: Nashville;[66] Georgia: Atlanta[67]
1929 Gilbert J. Easton[68][69][70] Mayonnaise New Jersey: Newark[68]
1929 2 other mayonnaise companies Mayonnaise n/a
1929 Tuttle Cheese Co.[48][49][50] Cheese[71], other dairy products California: Oakland
1929 John E. Cain (cheese business)[48][49][50] Cheese[74] Massachusetts: Cambridge
1929 Crawford Farms, Inc.[48][49][50] Cheese[75], other dairy products New York: Millbrook
1929 Missoula Creamery, Inc.[48][49][50] Butter[76], ice cream, other products[77] Montana: Missoula
1929 Red Rock Dairy[48][49][50] Cheese, butter, other product[78] Oregon: Portland, Tigard
1929 Sauquoit Valley Dairy Co., Inc[48][49][50] Butter, other dairy products[79] New York: Utica
1929 Sentinel Creamery, Inc[48][49][50] Butter, ice cream, other dairy products[80] Montana: Missoula
1929[22] International Wood Products Wooden box California: Niles[81]
1929[82] Gelfand Manufacturing[48][49][50] Mayonnaise Maryland: Baltimore[83]

In May 1926 the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. was registered in Australia. It was a separate company from Fred Walker & Co. but managed by the same staff. Fred Walker was chairman by 1930, and after his death in July 1935, Kraft acquired the company.[84]

Later, in 1927, it established its London, United Kingdom, and Hamburg, Germany, sales offices—its first forays outside North America. Sales for 1927 were $60.4m.

In 1928, it acquired Phenix Cheese Company, the maker of a cream cheese branded as Philadelphia cream cheese, founded by Jason F. Whitney, Sr., and the company changed its name to Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company.

In 1929, The New York Times reported that Kraft Phenix, The Hershey Company and Colgate were looking at merging.[85] In the same year, it was reported that National, Borden and Standard Brands (now part of Kraft Foods) were all looking at acquiring the firm.

By 1930, it had captured forty percent of the cheese market in the U.S. and was the third largest dairy company in the United States after National Dairy and Borden.[4]

Post-National Dairy acquisition of Kraft-Phenix

At the time of the acquisition in 1930, National Dairy had sales of $315m compared with $85m for Kraft Phenix. National Dairy management ran the combined business. Following the Kraft-Phenix acquisition, the firm continued to be called National Dairy until 1969, when it changed its name to Kraftco.[86]

Historically, all of the firm's sales came from dairy products. Its product lines began to diversify away from dairy products to caramel candies, macaroni and cheese dinners and margarines. From the 1950s onward, the firm began to move away from low value added commodity dairy products, such as fluid milk.[87] This trend would continue for the firm, through neglect and divestiture, until the primary remaining dairy product produced by the firm would be cheese. As a result, the modern history of the firm emphasizes the cheese history.

In 1933, the company began marketing by radio sponsorship. In 1935, the Sealtest brand of ice cream was launched as a unified national brand to replace the firm's numerous regional brands.[4]

During World War II, the company sent four million pounds of cheese to Britain weekly.[4]

Product development and advertising helped the company to grow during the postwar years, launching sliced processed cheese and Cheez Whiz, a brand of process cheese sauce, in the 1950s.

During these years, Thomas McInnerney, National Dairy's founder, and James L. Kraft, Kraft's founder, died, and at the end of the decade, the divisions became less autonomous and even diversified to the glass-packaging business with the acquisition of Metro Glass in 1956.[4]

In 1947, the company tested the marketing power of the emerging medium of television by producing an hour-long drama/anthology series, Kraft Television Theatre. The product advertised on the program, MacLaren's Imperial Cheese, was selected because "... [it had] not only had no advertising appropriation whatsoever, but had not even been distributed for several years." As described by internal documents of J. Walter Thompson—the advertising firm which conceived of the marketing test—the result was "although there was no other advertising support for it whatsoever, still grocery stores could not keep up with the demand."[88]

In the 1960s, product development became intense, launching fruit jellies, fruit preserves, marshmallows, barbecue sauces and Kraft Singles, a brand of individually-wrapped cheese slices.[4] During this decade, the company also expanded in many markets worldwide.

In 1961, the firm acquired Dominion Dairies of Canada, marking the first effort by the firm to expand into fluid milk and ice cream outside the United States.[89] In the same year it also acquired The Southern Oil Company in Manchester, England.

National Dairy becomes Kraft

In 1969, the firm changed its name from National Dairy to Kraftco Corporation. The reason for the name change was given at the time: "Expansion and innovation have taken us far afield from the regional milk and ice cream business we started with in 1923. Dollar sales of these original products have remained relatively static over the past ten years and, in 1969 accounted for approximately 25% of our sales."[90] At the same time, the firm transferred to Glenview, Illinois, in 1972.[4] In 1976, its name changed to Kraft, Inc. to emphasize the trademark the company had been known for and as a result of the fact that dairy, other than cheese, was now only a minor part of the company's sales. Reorganization also occurred after the name change.[4]

Dart merger

In 1980, Kraft merged with Dart Industries—makers of the Duracell brand of batteries, Tupperware brand of plastic containers, West Bend brand of home appliances, Wilsonart brand of plastics and Thatcher glass—to form Dart & Kraft.[4][91]

During the 1980s, Dart & Kraft offered mixed results to its shareholders, as new acquisitions in the food business—such as Churny premium cheeses, Tombstone Pizza,[92] Lender's Bagels,[93] Frusen Gladje ice cream[94] and Celestial Seasonings tea[95]—slightly offset the lagging nonfood business, due to Tupperware's decrease in sales and KitchenAid's (acquired soon after the merger)[96] slide in market share, leading Dart & Kraft to spin off its nonfood business (except Duracell batteries) into a new entity (Premark International, Inc.) while changing its name back to Kraft, Inc. Premark was bought by Illinois Tool Works in 1999.[97] Kraft then acquired General Host's All American Gourmet Co. unit in 1987.[98] In 1988, Kraft sold Duracell to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, who then put it into an initial public offering in 1989. Gillette[4] bought Duracell in 1996, and itself was acquired by Procter and Gamble in 2005. Kraft sold the Celestial Seasonings tea to Vestar Capital Partners in 1988.[99]

Philip Morris acquisition and merger with General Foods

At the end of 1988, Philip Morris Companies purchased Kraft for $12.9 billion. In 1989, Kraft merged with Philip Morris's General Foods unit—makers of Oscar Mayer meats, Maxwell House coffee, Jell-O gelatin, Budget Gourmet frozen dinners, Entenmann's baked goods, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light and Tang powdered beverage mixes, Post Cereals, Shake 'n Bake flavored coatings and numerous other packaged foods—as Kraft General Foods. Its aggressive product development was reversed after the merger, as it became slow in addressing issues on its product lines due to its size, and also company politics.[4]

In 1990, the company acquired Jacobs Suchard (a European coffee and confectionery giant) and Freia Marabou (a Scandinavian confectionery maker) to expand overseas as its business was heavily dependent on the U.S.[101][102] In 1993, it acquired RJR Nabisco's cold cereal business (mainly Shredded Wheat and Shreddies cereals), Terry's of York from United Biscuits, while selling its Breyers ice-cream division to Unilever and its Birds Eye unit to Dean Foods.[103][104] In 1994, it sold its frozen dinners unit to H.J. Heinz and in 1995, it sold its foodservice unit.[4][105][106][107] Also in 1994, it acquired an 82% stake in Romanian confectionary company Poiana-Produse Zaharoase SA.[108]

In 1995, it changed its name to the present name, Kraft Foods.[109] The same year, it sold its bakery division (except Lender's Bagels, which was sold in 1996 to Kellogg Company), its caramel & marshmallow divisions and its tablespreads division.[110][111][112] Log Cabin syrup was sold in 1997.[4][113]

On August 2, 1996, Kraft announced a deal with PepsiCo to market the Taco Bell brand of grocery products.[114]

In 1998, Kraft announced a partnership with Starbucks to market and distribute the Starbucks brand of coffee beans in grocery stores.[115]

By 2007, Philip Morris (now Altria Inc.) sold its stake in Kraft Foods and the companies separated.

Financial expansion

In 2000, Philip Morris (renamed Altria in 2003) acquired Nabisco Holdings for $18.9 billion and merged the company with Kraft Foods the same year.[116][4] Also in 2000, the company acquired Balance Bar.[117] In 2001, Philip Morris sold 280 million Kraft shares via the third-largest IPO of all time, retaining an 88.1% stake in the company. Also in 2001, Kraft acquired the Bulgarian and Romanian coffee businesses,[118] as well as the Moroccan coffee business.[119] On January 4, 2002, Kraft acquired Stollwerck's Eastern European confectionery businesses.[120] In March 2004, Kraft acquired juice maker Veryfine.[121]

In 2004, it sold its sugar confectionery division to Wrigley,[122][123] while doing minor divestitures—including its hot cereals division (Cream of Wheat) to B&G Foods in 2007,[124] its fruit snacks division to Kellogg's in 2005,[125][126][127] its pet snacks division (Milk-Bone) to Del Monte Foods in 2006,[128] juice drinks and Fruit2o to Sunny Delight Beverages in 2007,[129] its yogurt division to CoolBrands International,[130] its British desserts business to Premier Foods[131] and some grocery brands in 2006.

In 2006, the company bought the Southern European business of United Biscuits, acquiring several local brands such as Galletas Fontanenda.[132][133]

Investor Nelson Peltz bought a three-percent stake at Kraft Foods and discussed revitalizing the business with executives,[134] with options such as buying Wendy's fast-food chain or selling off Post cereals and Maxwell House coffee.[134] On January 31, 2007, after months of speculation, the company announced that its 88.1% stake would be spun off to Altria shareholders at the end of March 2007, giving each approximately 0.7 shares of Kraft for each share of Altria they owned. Kraft became an independent publicly held company.

In July 2007, the company bought Groupe Danone's biscuit (cookie) and cereal division for $7.2 billion, including iconic French biscuit brand Lefèvre-Utile.[134][135] While two years earlier fiery protests had arisen over plans for American PepsiCo's hostile takeover of the French company, Kraft's announcement was not met with the same protests, in part because Kraft agreed not to close French factories and keep the new merged divisions headquarters near Paris for at least three years.[134]

In November 2007, Kraft agreed to sell its cereal unit to Ralcorp Holdings, a major private-label food maker, for $2.6 billion in a form of a spin-off merger. This would add 50% to Ralcorp's sales, to $3.3 billion, and will be used for Kraft's debt payment, which was at $13.4 billion, in danger of a downgrade by Standard and Poor's.[136]

In February 2008, Berkshire Hathaway, run by billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett, announced that it had acquired an 8% stake in Kraft then worth over $4 billion. Buffett's business partner Charles Munger had also invested over $300 million in Kraft. Berkshire Hathaway owned 5.6% of the outstanding stock of Kraft Foods, as reported in the holding company's 2010 annual report.[137]

On September 22, 2008, the company replaced the troubled insurance company American International Group in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.[7]

On December 8, 2009, Kraft sold Balance Bar to Brynwood Partners.[138]

Purchase of Cadbury

On September 7, 2009, Kraft made a £10.2 billion takeover offer for the long-established British confectionery group Cadbury, makers of Dairy Milk and Bournville chocolate.[139] On November 9, 2009, Kraft's £9.8bn takeover bid was rejected by Cadbury. Cadbury stated that the takeover bid was a "derisory" offer.[140] Kraft renewed the offer under the same terms on December 4, 2009.[141] The offer generated significant political and public opposition in the United Kingdom and abroad, even leading to calls for the government to implement a policy of economic protectionism in cases of takeovers of large companies.[142] On January 19, 2010, Cadbury finally approved a revised offer from Kraft, valuing the confectionery business at $19.5 billion (£11.5 billion). The funding for the takeover was partially provided by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the British part-state-owned bank.[143]

The Cadbury purchase was part of the long-term strategy of Irene Rosenfeld, CEO and Kraft Chairman since March 2007, who developed a three-year turnaround plan designed to drive the profitable growth of Kraft Foods.[144] Rosenfeld wanted to develop new markets and expand product range when she assumed the role of chairman. It was assumed that the purchase of Cadbury would help Kraft products develop in new markets such as Brazil and India because of Cadbury's current strong presence in those markets.[145] India is one of its most resilient markets with sales growth of 20% and profits growing at 30% in a competitive market.[146] Kraft believed the Cadbury purchase was also necessary because of the likelihood of Nestlé and Hershey joining together. Kraft also believed it could eke out savings of at least $675m annually by the end of the third year.[147] Irene Rosenfeld saw the Kraft Cadbury merger as the "logical next step in our transformation toward a high-growth, higher-margin company". She also justified the merger as a necessary step in order to build a "global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals".[148]

Following the purchase of Cadbury, Kraft commanded 14.8% of the global candy and gum market. Kraft argued that it could take advantage of the Cadbury distribution in developing markets of India, Brazil and Mexico.[149] As incomes rise in these developing nations, Kraft hopes that products such as Oreo will become impulse buys for children.[149] Mars, Inc. is second in the confectionery market with 14.6% share, followed by Nestlé with 7.8%.[150]

At the time of the purchase, the chocolate and sugar industry had been growing rapidly at 15% over the previous three years and was valued at $113 billion.[151] The purchase of Cadbury was considered strange because they did not have a strong foothold on the confectionery market, but at the time Kraft noted their production of confectionery foods like Toblerone and candy foods like Oreo. Cadbury also owned popular gum brands such as Stride, Trident, Dentyne, and Chiclets.[152] Roger Carr, chairman of Cadbury, discussed his approval of the takeover by Kraft by saying, "We believe the offer represents good value for Cadbury shareholders and are pleased with the commitment that Kraft Foods has made to our heritage, values and people throughout the world."[153]

In July 2010, Kraft announced it was selling Cadbury's Romanian unit to Oryxa Capital as a condition for the European Commission's approval for the company's purchase of Cadbury.[154]

Acquisition fallout

Cadbury sales were flat after Kraft's acquisition. Despite the Cadbury takeover helping boost sales by 30%, Kraft's net profit for the fourth quarter fell 24% to $540m due to costs associated with integrating the UK business after the acquisition.[155] Kraft spent a one-time $1.3 billion in integration costs to achieve $675 million in recurring annual synergy savings by the end of 2012 (estimated).[156]

Kraft was forced to increase prices to offset rising commodity costs in North America and Europe. Kraft has had to contend with the higher cost of ingredients such as corn, sugar and cocoa. Kraft chief executive Irene Rosenfeld said, "We expect it will remain weak for the foreseeable future." Taking into account integration costs, the acquisition knocked about 33% off Kraft's earnings per share immediately after the purchase of Cadbury.[155] In March 2011, Kraft caused national outrage when they sold the site of a historic Cadbury factory it vowed not to close for £50 million after initially publicly promising the continuity of production within the UK in order to win over support for the deal from shareholders. Instead, production was immediately outsourced to Poland. The Somerdale Factory was closed just days after the takeover by Kraft Foods. Former Cadbury workers demanded an apology for the abrupt selling of the plant, but Kraft's CEO Irene Rosenfeld refused to explain her actions.[157] Kraft continues to use Cadbury brands in emerging markets to expand all of its products. In April 2011, Kraft set to invest $150 million in South Africa's manufacturing plants over three years. President Sanjay Khosla said, "South Africa is a priority market for us, where we focus on power brands like Cadbury chocolate."[158]

Sale of frozen pizza division to Nestlé

On March 1, 2010, Nestlé concluded the purchase of Kraft's North American frozen pizza business for $3.7 billion. Kraft left the door open to repurchase with a buyback option not before one year and not after three years for the original sale price of $3.7 billion. Although not likely if Kraft were to want to repurchase they would have to come up with cash only and no stocks. The sale included DiGiorno, Tombstone and Jack's brands in the United States, the Delissio brand in Canada and the California Pizza Kitchen trademark license. It also includes two Wisconsin manufacturing facilities in Medford and Little Chute. The business generated 2009 net revenues of $1.6 billion, with 3,400 employees.[159]

Proposed split

After a period of poor share performance and investor criticism, Rosenfeld was forced to announce in 2011 the proposed split of the company into two new entities. Both were to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, but the company has recently decided to move to NASDAQ, and the split companies will also trade on NASDAQ.[160] The first entity would retain the Kraft foods names and brands, and focus on the North American foods business. The second, later proposed to be named Mondelēz International, would focus on the global snacks business, and would include the former Cadbury businesses, plus global brands including Dairylea.[161] On April 2, 2012, Kraft Foods Inc. announced that it had filed a Form 10 Registration Statement to the SEC to split the company into two companies to serve the "North American grocery business".[162] The split was structured so that the old Kraft Foods changed its name to Mondelez International and spun off Kraft Foods Group as a new publicly traded company.

Sponsorships and promotions

Kraft Foods Inc was an official partner and sponsor of Major League Soccer and sponsored the Kraft Nabisco Championship, one of the four "majors" on the LPGA tour. The company also sponsored the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, a post-season college football bowl game.

Kraft Hockeyville was a Canadian reality television series developed by CBC Sports in 2006 and sponsored by Kraft Foods, in which communities across Canada competed to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The contest revolved around a central theme of community spirit in Canada. In 2007, the contest was relegated to a series of segments aired on Hockey Night in Canada.

Kraft released an iPad app called "Big Fork Little Fork" in 2011 which, in addition to games and other distractions, provided information regarding how to use Kraft foods in nutritious ways.[163][164] The app cost $1.99; a version for home computers was also available on the iTunes app store.

Brands

Before the company was split, its core businesses were in beverage, cheese, dairy foods, snack foods, confectionery, and convenience foods.

Kraft's major brands (those that generated revenues exceeding $1 billion) were:[5]

Seventy additional brands have revenues greater than $100 million. In total, 40 brands are at least 100 years old.[165]

Controversies

Trans-fat litigation

In 2003, a California lawyer made national headlines by suing Kraft for using trans fat in Oreo cookies.[166] Kraft Foods announced a trans-fat free reformulation of Oreos shortly after the 2003 lawsuit was filed, and the lawsuit was dropped. Kraft denied that the change was made in response to the lawsuit, noting that the reformulation had been in planning long before the lawsuit.[167]

In 2010, two California residents filed a class action lawsuit against Kraft Foods for claiming certain products are healthy when in fact they contain unhealthy trans fat. Kraft denied any wrongdoing, saying all packaging claims are true and legal. A United States district judge certified the class on June 6, 2012.[168] The lawsuit cites current scientific consensus on the dangerous health effects of trans fat, which causes coronary heart disease[169] and has been linked to type 2 diabetes[170] and some forms of cancer.[171][172] The American Heart Association concludes that there is "no safe level" of trans fat in the diet.[173] On October 25, 2012, the final ruling ordered Kraft Foods Inc. to cease the use of certain phrases on packaging, for example that Honey Grahams "Support Kids' Growth and Development".[174]

Political campaign

In 2012, Kraft contributed $1,950,500 to a $46 million political campaign known as "The Coalition Against The Costly Food Labeling Proposition, sponsored by Farmers and Food Producers"[175] The organization was founded to oppose Proposition 37, a California citizen's initiative mandating the labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients. As a result, there were calls for a boycott of Kraft products.[176]

Environmental record

For years Kraft purchased paper for its packaging from Asia Pulp & Paper, the third-largest paper producer in the world which was called a "forest criminal" for destroying "precious habitat" in Indonesia's rain forest.[177] In 2011, when Kraft cancelled its contract with Asia Pulp & Paper, Greenpeace executive director Phil Radford commended the company for "taking rainforest conservation seriously".[178]

In the news

Kraft began a major restructuring process in January 2004, following a year of declining sales (blamed largely on the rising health consciousness of Americans) and the sacking of co-CEO Betsy Holden. The company announced closures of 19 production facilities worldwide and the reduction of 5,500 jobs, as well as the sale of 10% of its branded products.

On January 19, 2010, Kraft sealed the deal to buy 100% of the share capital of Cadbury for over $19 billion.[179][180]

On March 17, 2010, Kraft Foods said it was "truly sorry" over its closure of a Cadbury factory in Somerdale. Senior Kraft executive Marc Firestone made the public apology to MPs at a parliamentary select committee hearing.[181]

In March 2011, in the US, Kraft Foods introduced MiO, a liquid flavoring product with zero calories and sugar-free geared to 18 to 39-year-old consumers.[182] MiO has no artificial flavors but it does have artificial colors, artificial sweeteners and artificial preservatives, unlike some competing flavoring products, according to USA Today.[183]

In August 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to split into two publicly traded companies—a snack food company and a grocery company.[184]

On September 10, 2010, a disgruntled employee angered over a recent suspension, Yvonne Hiller, opened fire inside the Philadelphia factory where she had worked for 15 years. Armed with a .357 gun, Yvonne shot 3 co-workers, killing 2 of them. Philadelphia Police responded within minutes of the 911 call. SWAT took Yvonne into custody at 8:30pm.[185]

Recalls

In September 2000, up to $50 million worth of taco shells were recalled by Kraft from supermarkets and Taco Bell restaurants. The shells contained genetically modified corn, which was not approved for human consumption by the Food and Drug Administration; the recall was the first of a genetically modified food. The corn was supplied to a plant from which Kraft bought the shells.[186]

In April 2009, Kraft Foods recalled products containing pistachios after the discovery of salmonella at one of its Illinois manufacturers. Kraft pinpointed as the source a California pistachio grower, which initially recalled over 2,000,000 pounds (910,000 kg) of nuts before broadening the recall to much of its 2008 crop.[187][188] A Washington Post editorial credited the "aggressive food safety system at Kraft Foods" with effectively addressing the danger.[189]

In September 2011, Kraft recalled over 130,000 cases of Velveeta Shells and Cheese microwaveable cups because of possible wire bristles in the cups.[190]

See also

References

  1. ^ "News Releases". phx.corporate-ir.net (Press release). Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Mondelez? Puh-LEEZE!", Jess Collen, Forbes, 21/03/2012
  3. ^ a b "Kraft Heinz Company". Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Kraft Foods Inc". Funding Universe. 2002. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  5. ^ a b "Developing Markets' Growth Rockets Tang to 'Billion-Dollar' Status". Kraft Foods. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  6. ^ "Largest Brands". Kraft Foods. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Kraft replaces AIG in Dow Jones Industrial Average". USA Today. Associated Press. September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  8. ^ Helen Thomas (August 4, 2011). "Kraft announces plans to split". Financial Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  9. ^ "News Releases". phx.corporate-ir.net. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  10. ^ "Dairy Combine Shares". The Wall Street Journal. December 11, 1923. p. 7. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  11. ^ Sinclair, John F. (June 28, 1929). "Milk Field Venture Wins". Los Angeles Times. p. 14.
  12. ^ "National Dairy Products". The Wall Street Journal. December 13, 1923. p. 6. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "Kraft Foods Inc. | American company". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  14. ^ "The History of Kraft Foods Inc" (PDF).
  15. ^ Schorpp, Doug (June 21, 2014). "100 years ago, Kraft's first plant opened in northern Illinois". The Quad-City Times.
  16. ^ "A Southern Icon". Augusta Magazine. April 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c "Kraft Cheese Co.-Annual Report-". Commercial and Financial Chronicle. Vol. 120, no. 3129. June 13, 1925. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  18. ^ a b c d Kraft Cheese Company Executive Office (July 24, 1926) [1926-06-11]. "Financial". The Commercial and Financial Chronicle. Vol. 123, no. 3187. William B. Dana Co., Publishers, N.Y. p. XX. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  19. ^ a b Kraft Cheese Co. (November 27, 1926). "Financial". The Commercial and Financial Chronicle. Vol. 123, no. 3205. William B. Dana Co., Publishers, N.Y. p. 200. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corp. - Pref. Stock Sold. -". The Commercial and Financial Chronicle. Vol. 127, no. 3308. William B. Dana Co., Publishers, N.Y. November 17, 1928. p. 2832. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  21. ^ a b "Kraft-Phenix Continues to Expand". Food Industries. Vol. 1, no. 8. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, Inc. May 1929. p. 381. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kraft Foods Co. v. Comm. (Nos. 4160, 5574), 513-600 (United States Tax Court January 25, 1954), Text. This citation refers to the accompanying materials (corporate acquisition list on p. 526). The printed edition contains redactions on this page; the unredacted text is available in the Tax Analysts electronic version.
  23. ^ "The P. E. Sharpless Co. of Philadelphia was purchased in September" in the annual report by Kraft on 1925[17]
  24. ^ Emma Leuschner (December 20, 2023). "History of the P.E. Sharpless Company". Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  25. ^ "Cheese Companies Amalagamate". Industrial Canada. Vol. XXL, no. 11. March 1921. p. 114. Retrieved March 15, 2026. "The new company is the result of an amalgamation of the cheese interests of the MacLaren Imperial Cheese Company, Limited, and the J. L. Kraft & Bros. Company of Chicago."
  26. ^ "To the Holders of Kraft-Mac Laren Cheese Company, Limited". The Commercial and Financial Chronicle. Vol. 121, no. 3140. August 29, 1925. p. XIX. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  27. ^ "New Plant Construction". Power. Vol. 56, no. 20. November 14, 1922. p. 785. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  28. ^ "Men, Jobs, Companies". Food Industries. Vol. 13, no. 6. June 1941. p. 95. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  29. ^ a b c d The financial on 1926 [18] had already reported this acquisition, but the list in [22] recorded the date of completion as 1928-02-11.
  30. ^ "The Brennan-Eley Company". Advertising and selling fortnightly. June 17, 1925. p. 88. Retrieved March 12, 2026. "Chicago, will direct advertising for [...]; Milani Company, same city, Milani French Dressing; [...]"
  31. ^ "Night Shift at Cheese Plant". Daily Missoulian. May 10, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  32. ^ "Cheese Production Increases Rapidly". Flathead Courier. June 11, 1925. p. A2. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  33. ^ According to articles in the Daily Missoulian[31] and the Flathead Courier[32], the Bitter Root Valley Cheese Company was formed in 1925 through the merger of the Corvallis and Victor cheese factories. In 1925, the company was co‑owned by Kraft and was producing Kraft’s “Elkhorn” brand cheese.
  34. ^ Latter-day Saint biographical encyclopedia : a compilation of biographical sketches of prominent men and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Vol. IV. Andrew Jensen Memorial Association. 1936. p. 19. Retrieved March 14, 2026. "Burton, Robert Ibbotson [...] During the summer of 1908 he assisted in organizing [...] and the Burton Creamery Company in Star Valley [...], and from 1923 to 1926 he acted as president of said company. When the Burtons sold out the creamery to the Kraft Cheese Company of Chicago, the business was in a prosperous condition and the company had imported into Star Valley between 600 and 700 Holstein cattle. "
  35. ^ Wyoming state business directory. Advertisement of Butron Creamery Company, Inc (advertisement). 1921. p. 327. "Burton Creamery Company, Inc. Makers of Star Brand Butter and Full Cream Cheese [...] Factories - Afton, Freedom and Smoot, Wyoming [...] Sales Office: Ogden. Utah [...] Afton, Wyoming"
  36. ^ "Cheese Factories Succeed on the Minidoka Project". Reclamation Record. 14 (11–12): 319. November–December 1923. Retrieved March 14, 2023. "In 1922, the H. F. Laab Co., of Wisconsin, who are large cheese makers of that State, made a thorough investigation of the possibilities of the cheese industry in Idaho."
  37. ^ "H. F. LAABS, CHEESE COMPANY". Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  38. ^ In a report[20], two similar companies were mentioned as differently acquired; "H. F. Laab Cheese Co (Idaho)" as a subsidiary company, and "Laabs Cheese Co. (Wis.)" as a controlled company. But, other reports dealt "H. F. Laab Cheese Co" as a company from Wisconsin.[36] This entry deals both. The only entity for which a corporate registration can be confirmed in OpenCorporates[37] is "H. F. Laabs Cheese Company" in Idaho.
  39. ^ "Clark Co., Wisconsin Cheese Factories & Dairies". Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  40. ^ "High Lights in a Review of the Mounth". New Reclamation Era. 17 (2). February 1926. Retrieved March 13, 2026. "The Laabs cheese factories on the Minidoka project have added a new product to their output. The manufacture of Swiss cheese has been inaugurated at the Burley, Rupert, Paul and Delco factories, [...]"
  41. ^ "Gems" of Our Valley: A Written and Pictorial History of Gem Valley, Located in Southeastern Idaho Along the Bear River, 1811-1977. Grace Literary Club. 1985. p. 116. Retrieved March 14, 2026. "Along about 1921 or 1922 the Laabs Cheese Company signed up enough farmers or ranchers to start a cheese factory in Grace. [...] Later, Kraft Cheese Company bought out Laabs and expanded their facilities, built a new plant on main street at Grace, [...]"
  42. ^ "New Plant Construction". Power. Vol. 60, no. 22. November 25, 1924. p. 868. Retrieved March 13, 2026. "Plymouth Refrigerating Co., awarded the contract for a 10 story addition to cold storage plant to H. Van Wagener, Plymouth."
  43. ^ "Plan New Cheese Agency". La Crosse Tribute. December 23, 1915. Retrieved March 13, 2026. "The C. A. Straubel company of Green Bay, wholesale buyers and distributors of cheese, has made arrangements to establish an agency in this city. A cold storage plant will be built."
  44. ^ "Clintonville, Wis. - C. A. Straubel Company has leased the Brick Potato Elevator and will again go into the wholesale cheese business". Dairy Record. May 24, 1922. p. 25. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  45. ^ Index of patents issued from the United States Patent Office. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1923. p. 945. Retrieved March 16, 2026. "[...] Velveeta Cheese Company Inc., Monroe, N.Y. [...] published July 24, 1923".
  46. ^ "Kraft Cheese Buys A. E. Write Company". Printers' Ink. Vol. 141, no. 13. December 29, 1927. p. 120. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  47. ^ Index of patents issued from the United States Patent Office. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1956. p. 44. Retrieved March 12, 2026. "Brodhead Cheese & Cold Storage Co., The. Brodhead. Wis., and New York, N. Y., to Kraft Foods Co., Chicago, Ill."
  48. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Kraft-Phenix Cheese Buys Ten Companies". New York Times. Vol. 79, no. 26199. October 17, 1929. Retrieved March 13, 2026. "The companies acquired are the Southern Dairies, Inc.; the Tuttle Cheese Company. the business and assets of John E. Cain, Crawford Farms, the Gelfand Manufacturing Company, the Henard Mayonnaise Company, the Missoula Creamery, Inc.; the Red Rock Dairy, the Sauquoit Vallet Dairy Company, Inc., and the Sentinel Creamery, Inc."
  49. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corp. - Listing. -". Commercial and Financial and Chronicle. Vol. 129, no. 3356. October 19, 1929. p. 2548. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Listing Reveals Holdings of Kraft-Phenix Cheese". Chicago Daily Tribune. October 19, 1929. p. 34. Retrieved March 17, 2026. "The companies acquired are the Tuttle Cheese company of Stockton, Cal., Southern Dairies, Inc.; John C. Cain, Cambridge, Mass.: Crawford Farms, Millbrook, N.Y.; Gelfand Manufacturing company, Baltimore; Hennard Mayonnaise company of Nashville, Atlanta, and Dallas; Missoula Creamery, Inc., Missoula, Mont.; Red Rock Dairy, Portland, Ore.; Sauquoit Valley Dairy company, with properties in several cities and towns in New York state, and the Sentinel Creamery company of Missoula, Mont."
  51. ^ Index of patents issued from the United States Patent Office. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1926. pp. 977, 1152, 1195, 1208, 1745, 1875, 1898, 1918. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  52. ^ "To Make the South the Nation's Dairy Center". Advertisement of Southern Dairies. Manufactures Record (advertise). Vol. 89, no. 8. February 25, 1926. pp. 107–120. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  53. ^ "Southern Dairies, Inc". Advertisement of Southern Dairies. Atlanta Constitution (advertise). Vol. 58, no. 95. September 16, 1925. p. 14. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  54. ^ "Cheese and Butter Plant Changes Hands". American Agriculturist. Vol. 122, no. 9. September 1, 1928. p. 155. Retrieved March 13, 2026. "Another change that has occurred this summer that we have not noted was the sale of 13 cheese factories owned by Adam Bickelhaupt of Redmond to the Karlen Cheese Co., of Rome. Mr. Bickelhaupt has for many years operated a large string of factories in Northern New York, specializing in making a high grade of Limburger cheese."
  55. ^ "Obituaries - Jacob Karlen dies at 99". Holstein-Friesian World. Vol. 52, no. 20. Holstein Friesian World Inc. October 15, 1955. p. 2438. Retrieved March 13, 2026. "Jacob Karlen died September 1 at his home at Rome, N. Y. [...] In 1910 he founded the J. Karlen Cheese Co., Inc., which absorbed several other cheese companies and in 1929 as the result of a merger, became known as Karlen-Bickelhaupt Co. later becoming a part of Kraft Foods."
  56. ^ According to the corporate acquisition list in,[22] Karlen-Bickelhaupt is a combination of Adam Bickelhaupt[54] and J. Karlen Cheese Co., Inc.[55]
  57. ^ "Buys Cheese Companies - Kraft-Phenix Gets Properties In Northern New York". New York Times. Vol. 77, no. 25654. April 20, 1928. p. 32. Retrieved March 12, 2026. Acquisition of a consolidated company made up of ten dealers in cheese in Northern New York, [...] The companies will be consolidated under the name Miller-Richardson & Co.
  58. ^ a b c d e "Cheese Manufacturers in Merger". American Agriculturist. Vol. 122, no. 14. April 14, 1928. p. 495. Retrieved March 12, 2026. Those who are reported as now in are — Richardson and Co. of Lowville, [...]; Thomas W. McGrath & Son, [...]; B. B. Miller & Son [...]; John S. Martin Co. [...]; The Lowville Cheese Co. and the Lowville Cold Storage Co.
  59. ^ "Pulska's Busiest Man He's W. J. Peach, Who Manages a Chain of Milk Stations". Fulton Evening Times. March 16, 1917. p. 4. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  60. ^ David Lane. "Stone Houses, Mansions and Other Old Houses of the North Country". Retrieved March 12, 2026. "In this connection is should be said that Jacob Vogt was an exceedingly extensive manufacturer of fine limburger cheese in this county and that also he was an extensive farmer."
  61. ^ "Price of Cheese Remains the Same". The Republican-Journal. June 25, 1932. p. 9. Retrieved March 12, 2026. "Buyers present were [...] R. J. Chandler, of Ogdensburg; [...]"
  62. ^ Index of patents issued from the United States Patent Office. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1924. p. 702. Retrieved March 12, 2026. "Benjamin, Lillian I., doing business as W. J. Benjamin & Son. West Stockholm, and Potsdam, N. Y. Butter, 179.409; Feb. 5."
  63. ^ "Co-operative Insurance". American Agriculturist. Vol. 57, no. 3. January 18, 1896. pp. 68–69."The committee to adjust losses for St. Lawrence county were W. H. McCadam [...]"
  64. ^ "Loss by Fire". New York Times. Vol. 50, no. 16049. June 16, 1901. p. 3. Retrieved March 12, 2026. "The Fairview cheese factory, near Heuvelton, N. Y., one of the largest on the Ogdensburg Dairymen's Board of Trade [...] The factory was owned by W. H. McCadam."
  65. ^ According to the corporate acquisition list in,[22] Miller-Richardson & Co. was a combination of B. B. Miller & Son,[58] Richardson & Co,[58] T. W. McGrath & Son,[58] Lowville Cheese Co,[58] John S. Martin & Co,[58] W. J. Peach & Son,[59] Jacob Vogt,[60] R. J. Chandler,[61] W. J. Benjamin & Son,[62] W. H. McCadam & Son.[63][64]
  66. ^ US application 183164, "Salad dressing and vegetable relish.", published April 22, 1924 
  67. ^ "Announcing The opening in Atlanta of a new Food manufacturer known as the Henard Mayonnaise Co,". The Atlanta Constitution. Vol. 55, no. 354. June 2, 1923. p. 5. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  68. ^ a b "Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corp. - Listing. -". The Commercial and Financial Chronicle. Vol. 129, no. 3353. William B. Dana Co., Publishers, N.Y. September 28, 1928. p. 2086. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  69. ^ "Kraft-Phenix Cheese Acquisition". The Christian Science Monitor. Vol. 21, no. 264. October 7, 1929. p. 10. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  70. ^ "Kraft-Phenix Company Acquires D. J. Easton, Inc". Chicago Daily Tribune. Vol. 88, no. 239. October 7, 1929. p. 25. Retrieved March 11, 2026. Several newspapers, apparently following to an Associated Press dispatch, misreported the name of acquired company as "D. J. Easton."
  71. ^ "Cottage Cheese Week". Advertisement of Carmel Dairy Depot. Carmel Pine Cone (advertise). Vol. XVI, no. 17. April 25, 1930. p. 4. Retrieved March 17, 2026. "Three deliveries weekly from Tuttle Cheese Co., Oakland. Also Tuttle's Philadelphia Cream and Pimento Cheese."
  72. ^ "CAINS FOODS - HISTORY". Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. "it was in this place, at this time that John E. Cain opened his Cheese distribution company. [...] As he expanded to include more products including mayonnaise, [...]"
  73. ^ "TreeHouse Foods, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Cains Foods". Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  74. ^ Kraft acquired only the Cheese-related business from John E. Cain's company. His company was changing their focus to mayonnaise[72] which Kraft did not acquired. It was sold to TreeHouse Foods on 2013.[73]
  75. ^ "Trademark Registration Granted". Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office: 859. July 31, 1923. "171,023, Cheese. Crawford Farms Incorporated, Millbrook, N.Y. Filed Augst10, 1922. Serial No. 168,025. Published April 3, 1923".
  76. ^ Montana. Dept of Agriculture and Publicity (1919). Resource of Montana. p. 183.
  77. ^ "Insist On-". Advertisement of Missoula Creamery, Inc. The Frontier a Magazine of the Northwest (advertisement). Vol. 9, no. 1. November 1928. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  78. ^ "Yoshio and Sachito Hasuike oral history recording Part 1". Retrieved March 17, 2026. "[...] Red Rock Dairy they make cheeses and butter and they used to pick up this local milk."
  79. ^ "Ice and Refrigeration - New Corporations". National Provisioner. Vol. 58, no. 2. January 12, 1918. p. 34. "The Sauquoit Valley Dairy Co., Inc., to conduct a general milk and creamery business, [...]"
  80. ^ "Sentinel Brand Butter and Ice Cream". Advertisement of Sentinel Creamery. The Frontier A Magazine of the Northwest (advertise). Vol. 8, no. 2. March 1928. p. 139. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  81. ^ "New Firms Formed All Over Province As Business Grows". Victoria Daily Times. June 11, 1925. p. 13. Retrieved March 11, 2026. International Wood Products Company, 3,000 shares no par value, Niles, Cal. and New Westminster.
  82. ^ "Among Package Users". Modern Packaging. Vol. 3, no. 5. January 1930. p. 58. Retrieved March 11, 2026. The Gelfand Manufacturing Co., manufacturers of mayonnaise and salad dressings, has merged with Kraft-Phenix Cheese Co.
  83. ^ "News Around Industry". The Canning Trade. Vol. 51, no. 8. October 8, 1928. p. 22. Retrieved March 11, 2026. To Open Branch in Los Angeles — The Gelfand Manufacturing Company, mayonnaise and relish makers, have completed negotiations for a site and new building on Everett avenue, Los Angeles. [...] The company is a Baltimore (Md.) firm.
  84. ^ Farrer, K. T. H. (1990). "Walker, Fred (1884–1935)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved January 14, 2021. This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12, (MUP), 1990
  85. ^ New York Times, October 16, 1929
  86. ^ Kraftco Corporation Annual Report 1969.
  87. ^ Compare National Dairy annual report 1938, 1958 and 1976 sales mix data
  88. ^ "'Kraft'-ing a Durable Business Model". TelevisionWeek. April 27, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  89. ^ National Dairy annual report 1961, p. 6.
  90. ^ Kraftco annual report 1969, p. 3.
  91. ^ "Shareholders of Kraft Inc. and Dart Industries Inc. have... - UPI Archives". UPI. September 26, 1980. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  92. ^ "KRAFT TO BUY TOMBSTONE PIZZA". Chicago Tribune. July 24, 1986. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  93. ^ "Kraft-Lender's Tie". The New York Times. May 30, 1984. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  94. ^ "Kraft's Acquisition". The New York Times. March 12, 1985. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  95. ^ "Kraft to Buy Celestial". The New York Times. March 22, 1984. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  96. ^ Cole, Robert J. (February 18, 1981). "DART & KRAFT AND HOBART IN $460 MILLION MERGER". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  97. ^ "Illinois Tool Works to buy Premark for $3.4 billion". MarketWatch. September 9, 1999. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  98. ^ Vieth, Warren (June 5, 1987). "General Host to Sell Stake in All American Gourmet to Kraft". Business. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  99. ^ Andrews, Nina (September 13, 1988). "Partnership Will Buy Celestial Seasonings". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  100. ^ "Banbury – Economic history | A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 10 (pp. 49-71)". British-history.ac.uk. March 22, 1923. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  101. ^ Ramirez, Anthony (June 23, 1990). "Philip Morris Will Buy Suchard's Europe Units". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  102. ^ Randall, Virginia Maida (September 28, 1992). "Kraft agrees to buy stake in Scandinavia's largest chocolate company - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  103. ^ Janofsky, Michael (September 9, 1993). "COMPANY NEWS; Unilever to Gain Breyers In Kraft Ice Cream Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  104. ^ Woodyard, Chris (November 2, 1993). "Kraft to Sell Its Birds Eye Division : Acquisitions: The $140-million purchase by an Illinois company is part of Philip Morris' strategy to shed slow-growth units". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  105. ^ Woodyard, Chris (October 18, 1994). "Kraft Selling Its Budget Gourmet Unit to Heinz : Frozen food: Spokesman for buyer unsure of plans for Orange headquarters. He says acquisition will complement its Weight Watcher line". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  106. ^ Collins, Glenn (December 20, 1994). "Tobacco Giant Plans Sale of Unit". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  107. ^ "CLAYTON DUBILIER COMPLETES PURCHASE OF KRAFT UNIT". The New York Times. February 14, 1995. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  108. ^ "Kraft Jacobs Suchard buys 82 percent of Romanian firm - UPI Archives". UPI. February 10, 1994. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  109. ^ Collins, Glenn (January 5, 1995). "Blending Kraft and General Foods". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  110. ^ Hansell, Saul (August 8, 1995). "Kraft Selling Baking Lines To CPC for $865 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  111. ^ "Kraft to Sell Caramel Unit". The New York Times. August 15, 1995. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  112. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; NABISCO BUYS MARGARINE UNIT OF KRAFT FOODS". The New York Times. October 11, 1995. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  113. ^ "PHILIP MORRIS'S KRAFT UNIT SELLS ITS SYRUP BUSINESS". The New York Times. July 3, 1997. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  114. ^ Lazarus, George (August 2, 1996). "KRAFT TO DISH OUT TACO BELL FARE". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  115. ^ "Kraft to Distribute Starbucks Beans to Supermarkets". Los Angeles Times. September 29, 1998. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  116. ^ Fulmer, Melinda (June 26, 2000). "Tobacco Firm to Buy Nabisco for $14.9 Billion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  117. ^ "Kraft Foods to buy Balance Bar for $268 million". MarketWatch. January 21, 2000. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  118. ^ "Kraft Foods International Strengthens Coffee Businesses in Central & Eastern Europe". Food Online. February 6, 2001. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  119. ^ "USA: Kraft Foods International acquires Morocco's leading coffee company". Just Food. March 5, 2001. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  120. ^ "USA: Kraft Foods completes acquisition of Stollwerck AG's confectionery business in Russia and Poland". Just Food. January 4, 2002. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  121. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; KRAFT FOODS BUYS VERYFINE, A DRINK MAKER". The New York Times. March 30, 2004. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  122. ^ "Wrigley to buy Life Savers, Altoids". msnbc.com. November 15, 2004. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  123. ^ "Wrigley Closes Kraft Confectionery Acquisition". CSP Daily News. June 30, 2005. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  124. ^ "B&G Foods Completes Purchase of Cream of Wheat from Kraft Foods". www.businesswire.com. February 26, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  125. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; KRAFT FOODS TO SELL ITS FRUIT SNACKS UNIT TO KELLOGG". The New York Times. April 13, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  126. ^ "USA: Kraft sells fruit snacks operation to Kellogg". Just Food. April 13, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  127. ^ "Kellogg Buys Kraft's Fruit Snacks for $30 Million". Chief Marketer. April 14, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  128. ^ "Del Monte Foods gobbling up Milk-Bone brand". NBC News. March 16, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  129. ^ Jargon, Julie (October 3, 2007). "Kraft to Sell Veryfine And Fruit2O Brands As It Focuses on Growth". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  130. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; KRAFT TO SELL YOGURT BUSINESS TO COOLBRANDS". The New York Times. December 23, 2004. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  131. ^ "UK: Premier Foods to acquire Bird's Custard, Angel Delight from Kraft". Just Food. December 9, 2004. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  132. ^ "Kraft to buy some assets of United Biscuits". NBC News. July 10, 2006. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  133. ^ "Fontaneda y Chiquilín cambian de manos | elmundo.es". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  134. ^ a b c d "No ketchup, please". The Economist. July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
  135. ^ "Getting better?". The Economist. July 12, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
  136. ^ Rrstar.com Rockford Register article
  137. ^ "2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  138. ^ "Kraft Sells Off Balance Bar". Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery. December 8, 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  139. ^ "Kraft Foods Inc. proposes combination with Cadbury PLC". Kraft Foods. September 7, 2009. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  140. ^ "Cadbury Rejects Kraft's 'Derisory' Takeover Bid". Sky News. Archived from the original on November 12, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  141. ^ "Kraft Formalizes Bid For UK Candy Maker Cadbury". Allheadlinenews.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  142. ^ Roberts, Dan (January 19, 2010). "50 reasons to fight Kraft". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  143. ^ "Kraft to take over Cadbury". New Statesman. January 19, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  144. ^ Jose, Joshi (August 18, 2010). "Irene Rosenfeld's strategy is packing more goodness into Kraft". Wowelle.com. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  145. ^ Namazi, N. "Kraft: Plans to make it big in India with confectionery". Business Review India. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  146. ^ Jose, Joshi (August 18, 2010). "Irene Rosenfeld's strategy is packing more goodness into Kraft". Wowelle.com. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  147. ^ Ruddick, Graham (January 19, 2010). "Kraft buys Cadbury for £11.9bn: a Q&A". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  148. ^ "A Warning To Kraft: If You Eat Cadbury You'll Get Indigestion". Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  149. ^ a b Awal, Akanksha. "Oreo cookies and India's sweet tooth". THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  150. ^ "Cadbury's bought out by Kraft". Leaf and Bean. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  151. ^ "ME confectionary market worth $113bn". Alibaba.com Hong Kong. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  152. ^ "Featured Brands". Cadbury — The Collaboration Factory. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012.
  153. ^ Swanekamp, Kelsey. "Kraft Swallows Cadbury". Forbes. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  154. ^ "Kraft Foods to Sell Cadbury Romania Unit". Mondelēz International. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  155. ^ a b "Kraft Foods' profits hit by Cadbury costs". BBC. February 11, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  156. ^ STEUBER, ERIN. "Kraft, Cadbury not such a sweet deal?". Medill Reports. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  157. ^ "Kraft to sell Cadbury factory for £50 million". Small World News Service. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  158. ^ Daniels, Kurt. "Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT) In Huge Manufacturing Investment". eMoneyDaily. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  159. ^ "Kraft Foods Announces Agreement to Sell Pizza Business to Nestlé". Kraft Foods. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  160. ^ Geller, Martinne (June 8, 2012). "Kraft moves blue chip listing to Nasdaq". Reuters. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  161. ^ Rushe, Dominic (March 21, 2012). "Kraft spins off snacks business into new Mondelez International company". The Guardian. London. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  162. ^ "Financial News Release: Kraft Foods Announces Filing Of Form 10 Registration Statement For Planned Spin-Off Of North American Grocery Company". PR Newswire. April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  163. ^ "Big Fork Little Fork". KraftRecipes.Com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  164. ^ Kleinberg, Adam (January 4, 2011). "Why Every Brand Needs an Open API for Developers". Mashable.Com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  165. ^ "Largest Brands". Kraft Foods. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  166. ^ Marian Burros, "A Suit Seeks to Bar Oreos as a Health Risk", New York Times, May 14, 2003.
  167. ^ "Lawsuit dropped as Oreo looks to drop the fat", CNN, May 14, 2003.
  168. ^ ""Taking Kraft to Court"". Archived from the original on August 17, 2013.
  169. ^ Dariush Mozaffarian et al, "Trans Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease" Archived May 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, New England Journal of Medicine, 2006.
  170. ^ Hu, Frank B.; Manson, Joann E.; Stampfer, Meir J.; Colditz, Graham; Liu, Simin; Solomon, Caren G.; Willett, Walter C. (2001). "Diet, Lifestyle, and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women" (PDF). New England Journal of Medicine. 345 (11): 790–797. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa010492. PMID 11556298.
  171. ^ "Second Amended Complaint for Violations of the UCL, FAL, and CLRA" Archived May 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, September 16, 2010
  172. ^ Veronique Chajes et al, "Association between serum trans-monounsaturated fatty acids and breast cancer risk in the E3N-EPIC Study", Am J Epidemiology, 2008 June.
  173. ^ "American Heart Association: A History of Trans Fat". Archived from the original on August 8, 2013.
  174. ^ "Red v. Kraft Foods, Inc". CourtListener. Free Law Project. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  175. ^ "Who's Funding Prop 37, Labeling for Genetically Engineered Foods?". KCET. July 9, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  176. ^ "ANH calls for international boycott of Prop 37 NO campaign companies". Alliance for Natural Health Europe. November 14, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  177. ^ "Paper Giant Pledges to Leave the Poor Rainforest Alone. Finally. Asia Pulp & Paper—the notorious destroyer of pristine tiger and orangutan habitat—says it's changing its ways". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  178. ^ Phil Radford (November 2, 2011). "Hasbro Turns Over a New Leaf, Steps Up for Rainforests". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  179. ^ Wachman, Richard (September 30, 2009). "Kraft must make firm offer for Cadbury within 40 days, says Takeover Panel". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  180. ^ Communicatemagazine.co.uk Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Communicate magazine — September 2009
  181. ^ "Kraft apologises for closing Cadbury plant". NewStatesman. March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  182. ^ Packaging Digest, Kraft's new mio liquid flavoring, March 30, 2011, "Kraft's new MiO liquid flavoring stays handy in a portable pod - 2011-03-30 17:28:40 | Packaging Digest". Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  183. ^ "Kraft Hopes to Make Splash with New Mio Water Flavoring". USA Today. February 22, 2011.
  184. ^ "Kraft Foods — Investor Center — Financial News Release". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  185. ^ "Yvonne Hiller Suspect in Kraft Shooting: Two Killed, One Wounded at Philadelphia Plant". CBS News.
  186. ^ "Taco Bell Recalls Shells That Used Bioengineered Corn". Los Angeles Times. September 23, 2000. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  187. ^ Burke, Garance (April 6, 2009). "Kraft Foods offers salmonella timeline". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  188. ^ "Pistachio Firm Expands Recall Over Salmonella". The Washington Post. April 7, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  189. ^ "A Tale of Two Scares". The Washington Post. May 4, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  190. ^ Haller, Stephanie. "Kraft Recalls 137,000 Velveeta Shells & Cheese for Metal Wires". ConsumerBell. Retrieved January 23, 2012.