Milling & Baking News - December 1, 2020 - 10

Business

Mondelez considering closings
of US biscuit production plants
CHICAGO - Mondelez International
in early November said it is considering closing two biscuit manufacturing
plants on the East Coast as part of a
broader plan to evolve its US biscuit
manufacturing footprint. The plants
that may be shut down are located in
Fair Lawn, NJ, and Atlanta.
According to Mondelez, the two
sites are no longer strategic assets
from a geographic footprint perspective, and the company would be better
fit to serve customers and consumers
through strategically-situated baking
plants on each of the two coasts and
in the Midwest. In addition, both the
Atlanta and Fair Lawn facilities face
" significant operational challenges, including aging infrastructure and outdated production capabilities, which

would require significant investment
to bring them to the modernized state
required for the future, " Mondelez
said. The Fair Lawn facility has been
open since 1958.
Instead, Mondelez said it plans to
shift its focus to its strategically located and operationally advantaged sites,
including plants located in Richmond,
Va., Chicago/Naperville, Ill., and
Portland, Ore. The plants in Virginia,
Illinois and Oregon would remain the
" backbone " of Mondelez's US biscuit
manufacturing, the company said,
and would continue to make Nabisco
cookies and crackers.
The sites also would be complemented by proven US-based external manufacturing, which has been an important part of the company's US biscuit

CHICAGO - Mondelez International, Inc. in January plans to introduce Oreo Gluten-Free cookies
and Oreo Double Stuf Gluten-Free cookies as permanent additions to the Oreo portfolio. The cookies will be available wherever Oreo cookies are sold.
A GFCO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) certification will be on
all cookie packages. An Oreo representative declined to say what type of
flour will be used in the cookies.
" We made it our mission to ensure the new recipe delivered a comparable snacking experience to the original recipe, while meeting the
needs of 'snackers' with a gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivities as
well as GFCO standards, " the representative said.
The Oreo brand has flourished as more people stay at home during
COVID-19. Oreo cookies had US retail sales of $850 million in the 52week period ended July 12, which was up 20% from the previous 52week period, according to Information Resources, Inc., a Chicago-based
market research firm. Oreo Double Stuf cookies had sales of $345 million, up 17%. MBN

Aunt Millie's debuts Live Carb
Smart, Live Organic bread products
FORT WAYNE, IND. - Aunt Millie's
Bakeries is adding to its bread portfolio
with the introduction of Live Carb Smart
and Live Organic bread.
Live Carb Smart contains one net carb
per slice and is considered an excellent
source of fiber. The product also is ketofriendly, vegan and contains no highfructose corn syrup. The Carb Smart
product line includes white, wheat and
5-Seed bread varieties.
Meanwhile, the Live Organic bread is
described by Aunt Millie's as a " farm-totable organic product with bio-sourced
10 / December 1, 2020

Milling & Baking News

PRNEWSWIRE

MONDELEZ

Mondelez plans January launch
for gluten-free Oreo varieties

manufacturing network for many decades, the company noted.
" The way consumers are shopping
and snacking is changing rapidly, and
meeting these evolving needs requires
us to make our products in more flexible, agile and efficient ways, " said Glen
Walter, executive vice president and
president, North America, at Mondelez.
" As part of our commitment to robust
US manufacturing, we have invested
nearly $700 million in our US biscuit
bakeries since 2012. Despite these investments, we are looking for our US
biscuit manufacturing footprint to
evolve in order to accelerate innovation
and growth so that we can continue to
strengthen our leadership in snacking.
" Given our understanding of demand and consumption patterns, we
need to focus and allocate our resources to those sites and capabilities that are
best able to meet our future needs. If
we move forward with the decision being considered, we recognize it would
unfortunately impact employees who
work in our Fair Lawn and Atlanta
bakeries. We do not take this lightly
and are committed to supporting them
through the potential transition. "
Mondelez said the closing of the Fair
Lawn and Atlanta plants remains subject to discussions between the company
and the unions representing the plants.
Mayor Kurt Peluso of Fair Lawn, in
a Nov. 16 Facebook posting, said, " The
Nabisco plant has been a staple in Fair
Lawn for decades, the smell of fresh
baked cookies is part of Fair Lawn. Those
cookies mean hundreds of jobs for our
residents and surrounding communities
and we will continue to do everything
we can to keep Mondelez in Fair Lawn. "
Any proposed closings would not
likely occur before the middle of 2021,
Mondelez said. MBN

packaging for people who choose organic
for some or all of their food. " The Live
Organic product line includes Seedful,
100% whole wheat, ancient grains and
white loaves.
" Our new Live breads are breads you
can feel good about, " said J. Bohn Popp,
executive vice president of brand strategy
at Aunt Millie's Bakeries. " Inside and out,
it is better tasting and better for you. That
is extremely important to the Aunt Millie's family.
" Aunt Millie's cares about connecting
with our customers in the most wholesome way. From start to finish, we source,
bake and package bread with social and
environmental responsibility in mind so
that families can live their best lives. " MBN
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - December 1, 2020

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