Milling & Baking News - April 21, 2020 - 10

Business

COVID-19: BBU to reopen one plant,
quarantine workers at a second
WEST HAZLETON, PA. - Bimbo Bakeries USA, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo SAB
de CV, on April 10 temporarily reopened
its Stroehmann Brothers baking plant in
the Valmont Industrial Park in West Hazleton. The plant will be open at least through
Labor Day to accommodate increased demand for bread caused by the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic, BBU said.
The plant employed 157 when it was
closed in September 2019. At the time,
BBU said it would be more efficient to redistribute production to other bakeries in
its system to better meet market demand.
Now, the facility, which will bake bread
and buns, will get a second chance.
"In response to COVID-19 and increased product demand across the
Northeast market, Bimbo Bakeries will
temporarily reopen our Hazleton bread
bakery," BBU said. "This temporary

reopening will enable us to better feed
our communities by adding a fully operational bakery during this critical time.
We've hired former Bimbo Bakeries USA
associates to staff the bakery."
The baking plant opened in the mid1950s as a Spaulding Bakeries facility.
Stroehmann bought the plant in 1982,
and BBU subsequently acquired it in 2008
as part of its acquisition of the US fresh
bakery business of Weston Foods, Inc.
The plant's reopening came just a few
days after BBU announced that two employees at its Lehigh Valley, Pa., baking
plant have tested positive for COVID-19.
The facility, which bakes Sara Lee, Nature's Harvest, Ball Park and Stroehmann
products, remains operational.
A spokeswoman for BBU said the company has notified all bakery staff and has
directly contacted anyone with whom the

Consolidated Grain and Barge
acquires soybean business
MANDEVILLE, LA. - Consolidated
Grain and Barge Co. (CGB) acquired the
food-grade soybean division of Quality
Technology International, Inc. (QTI).
"CGB is well experienced in the Identity Preserved (IP) and specialty grain markets," said Eric Kresin, general manager,
market development of CGB. "This new
business fits perfectly into our market development group as we work to expand

in the food and consumer areas for nonGMO, specialty and organic areas."
The new food-grade soybean business
will trade, ship and sell specialty food
soybeans via container to Japan and domestically for processing and resale to
Japanese food manufacturers.
"This divestiture allows QTI to sharpen
our focus and concentrate our resources
on the demands of our rapidly growing

individuals had close contact, consistent
with guidelines issued by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"We are following all CDC guidelines
and have implemented additional measures to ensure associate safety," BBU
said. "This includes: Increasing social
distancing practices by staggering start
times to limit the number of associates
in common areas, by time clocks and in
locker rooms, creating one-chair tables in
the break rooms and marking the floor in
areas where associates might congregate
to remind them to keep a 6-foot distance,
increasing frequency of sanitation processes in all areas of the bakery, including
focusing on common-touch surfaces, communicating regularly with our associates
to ensure they have the information they
need to keep themselves and their coworkers safe."
Bimbo Bakeries USA said it has a dedicated COVID-19 response team that is
monitoring the pandemic across its business. MBN
Animal Health and Nutrition division,"
said Troy Lohrmann, president and chief
executive officer of QTI. "The immediate
and foreseeable future calls for new and
novel solutions in antibiotic-free production alternatives. We see this as our main
focus of customer need and opportunity."
Consolidated Grain and Barge is a
wholly owned subsidiary of CGB Enterprises, Inc. The company operates 95
grain facilities across the Midwest.
QTI provides natural gut health products for conventional, organic and antibiotic free production. MBN

Continental Mills acquires Illinois
mix facility from Hodgson Mill

Kellogg's cereal gets
supersized for the snack aisle

TUKWILA, WASH. - Continental Mills, Inc. has purchased a
175,000-square-foot facility in Effingham, Ill., from Hodgson
Mill. The facility is located adjacent to Continental Mills' existing manufacturing facility in Effingham and is expected to open
next year.
The plant will provide increased capacity for Continental Mills'
baking, breakfast and snack brands, including Krusteaz speedscratch mixes, Albers cornmeal and
grits, WildRoots trail mixes and Alpine
cider, among others.
In addition to providing increased
production capacity, the acquired Effingham facility offers excellent proximity to Continental Mills' customers in the eastern United States,
Midwest and Southeast, the company said.
"This is an exciting time for Continental Mills and our employees as we expand our operation with a second facility in Effingham
that provides a blank canvas for us to customize and meet customer
needs in the years to come," said Andrew O. Heily, president and
chief executive officer of Continental Mills. MBN

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. - Kellogg Co. is supersizing four
of its cereal brands to create new snack packs.
Kellogg's Jumbo Snax come in four varieties: Froot Loops,
Apple Jacks, Corn Pops and Frosted Flakes-inspired Tiger
Paws.
The Froot Loops, Apple Jacks and Tiger Paws Jumbo
Snax contain 150 calories and 15 grams of sugar per 1.25cup serving, while the Corn Pops snacks contain 140 calories and 15 grams of sugar per 1.33-cup serving.
"Kellogg's Jumbo Snax features the cereal brands
consumers know and love, but jumbo-sized and packaged perfectly for snacking," Kellogg Co. said. "They're
perfect for any snacking occasion - from a sweet,
crunchy mid-afternoon snack to family movie night on
the couch."
Set to hit shelves in May, the snacks are available in
single-serving multi-packs that contain 12 0.45-oz bags
as well as shareable 6-oz multi-serve resealable bags. The
multi-packs retail for $5.49, while the multi-serve bags retail for $4.99. MBN

10 / April 21, 2020

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Milling & Baking News - April 21, 2020

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