Baking & Snack - December 2006 - 18

NEWS FRONT
Ralcorp purchases Cottage Bakery
Ralcorp Holdings, Inc., St. Louis, MO, recently completed the purchase of
Cottage Bakery, Inc., Lodi, CA, in a $170.8 million cash transaction. In January 2007, Ralcorp, a manufacturer of private label and store brands, plans to
acquire the real estate associated with the Cottage Bakery purchase.
Cottage Bakery's management team and 690 employees will continue
operation at its 350,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility in Lodi, CA.
"We welcome the Cottage Bakery management team and employees to
the Ralcorp family," said Kevin J. Hunt, co-chief executive officer and president of Ralcorp
Holdings, Inc. "Cottage will become a key part of Ralcorp's frozen bakery products segment
and will enhance Ralcorp's existing frozen bakery product offerings."
Cottage Bakery is a manufacturer of frozen par-baked bread and frozen dough found in
the retail and food service channels. The company produces frozen cake layers, cheesecake,
baked Danish, European mousse tortes, enrobed desserts, frozen coffee cakes, breakfast
breads, bagels and croissants, energy bars, par-baked frozen European breads, ciabatta,
focaccia rolls and rustic sandwich breads.

Agreement sets
school snack guidelines
Snack food manufacturers including Kraft
Foods, PepsiCo, Campbell Soup, Groupe
Danone and Mars entered into an agreement
with the American Heart Association (AHA)
and the William J. Clinton Foundation that
sets guidelines for fat, sugar, sodium and calories for snack foods sold in school vending
machines, stores and snack bars.
Under the agreement, most snacks sold in
schools would not derive more than 35% of
their calories from fat and more than 10%

from saturated fat. There would also be a
limit of 35% for sugar content by weight.
"By working with schools and industry to
implement these guidelines, we are helping to
give parents peace of mind that their kids will
be able to make healthier choices at school," said
Raymond Gibbons, M.D., president of AHA.
In May, beverage industry leaders entered
into a similar agreement to sell only water,
unsweetened juice and low-fat and nonfat
milk in elementary and middle schools.

Girl Scout cookies
reformulated
trans-fat-free
Kathy Cloninger, c.e.o., Girl Scouts of the
USA, New York, NY, announced that all Girl
Scout cookie formulations are now transfat-free. The group worked with its bakers
at ABC Bakers, a division of Interbake Foods
LLC in Richmond, VA, over the past few
years to address the issue of trans fats.
Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Thanks-A-Lot and Reduced-Fat
Cartwheel varieties previously used transfat-free formulations. The group began
listing the amount of trans fats on packages
a year before the Food and Drug Administration requirements for trans-fat labeling
went into effect.
"As much as we all love Girl Scout cookies,
we still recommend that any type of dessert
or snack be eaten in moderation, whether
its an annual treat like Halloween and Easter
candies or even popcorn at the movies," said
Ms. Cloninger.
After paying the bakers, all cookie proceeds stay in the local community to help
fund essential services for troops and the
2.7 million Girl Scouts nationwide. The Girl
Scout cookie program extends from October through April. Girl Scouts of America
will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2007.

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20 / BAKING & SNACK / December 2006

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Baking & Snack - December 2006

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