Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Today's Treats

The first thing to ask is what is healthy.

The second things is consider the source. It's the same government and pre$$ pushing GMOs that supports GMOs.

"Hostess, four years after bankruptcy, will go public again" by Thomas Mulier Bloomberg News  July 05, 2016

Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs, plans to become a publicly listed company, marking a revival for an iconic American baker that just three years ago was facing liquidation.

The deal marks a comeback for a brand that was close to extinction before Apollo and Metropoulos bought Hostess out of bankruptcy in 2013. Hostess was founded in 1919 and gained popularity with its cream-filled, swirled-icing cupcakes. In 1930, the company introduced Twinkies, a snack that became a mainstay of American supermarkets and popular culture.

Ever try one of the cupcakes or Twinkies? Those things are like rubber. It's all chemicals, no cake.

While the yellow sponge cakes have strong brand recognition, taking Hostess public will test investors’ appetite for a company that trades in the kind processed sugar that Americans are increasingly trying to avoid. That trend took a toll on Hostess in recent years, contributing to the company’s two bankruptcies in the past decade.

Do you really know what is in that sugar bowl?

Hostess emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 under the control of buyout firm Ripplewood Holdings and lenders. Previously known as Interstate Bakeries Corp., the company changed its name to Hostess Brands that year.

When Hostess again went under roughly three years later, Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos & Co. came to the rescue, paying as much as $410 million for the name. The new owners resumed production and expanded distribution, officially returning Twinkies to store shelves in 2013 after a seven-month hiatus. The Metropoulos family, which has purchased other American brands such as Pabst beer, dubbed the baker’s revival the ‘‘sweetest comeback in the history of ever.’’

He's had one too many beers and Twinkies.

Hostess’s next chapter takes place as the US food industry sees sales and profit slumping. Consumers are seeking out fresh and natural options, shifting away from processed grocery staples that dominated store shelves for decades.

Changing consumer tastes have been hard on big packaged-food makers, with sugar in particular targeted as a health hindrance by US consumers.

‘‘It’s not in tune with where customers are going,’’ said Ken Shea, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

But?

Despite foodmakers’ troubles, the uncertainty surrounding the recent Brexit vote and the US election make the companies an attractive investment opportunity, Shea said, ‘‘This is a vote of confidence that packaged food is an attractive place for investors. It’s traditionally viewed as a place that money flocks to in times of uncertainty.’’

HA! Haven't the financial wizards of Wall Street and capital learned?

Then what other financial gimmickry and chicanery is this offering cover for and hiding? 

Let me gue$$: The IPO is initially propped up by Wall Street, the private equity guys get rich selling out, the company is a dying and concern and is then left to collapse after a few years in the face of employees and stockholders.

Another deal for a maker of sweet snacks also is percolating, with weakness at Hershey Co. making that company a takeover target. Mondelez International Inc. said last week that it had made a bid for the chocolate maker, which Hershey rejected....

Did you $ee how much money they are talking?

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The Globe has literally become junk food.