Ahh, The Creamy Center: Wal-Mart May Bail Out Twinkies
They say everyone has a perfect match somewhere in the universe—a soul mate, if you will. And the equally beloved and scorned Twinkie may have just found its knight in blue Greeter apron: Wal-Mart.
Twinkies, made by the now-bankrupt Hostess Brands Inc, received a swell of media attention as consumers flocked to supermarket shelves to purchase the product as the company announced it was ceasing production last month. Sparked by a baker strike, Hostess stopped production and filed for bankruptcy when it was unable to prevent the strike. As the eulogies poured in over the potential loss of America’s most iconic junk food, the offers to buy the brand were almost instant. Now, it’s being reported that bids to purchase Hostess Brands Inc have come in from both Kroger Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. along with ten other potential buyers.
According to Bloomberg.com, “A few of the bids are for all the assets, some are for just the cakes or breads businesses, and others are interested in individual Hostess plants or products, according to the person. Other first-round bidders include Grupo Bimbo SAB and Alpha Baking Co., the person said.”
Symbolic of the problems with the American diet–as more than two-thirds of the population are either overweight or obese–the 82-year old brand also produced other notably unhealthy foods including Wonder Bread, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos, “Changes in American diets led to years of declining sales at Hostess, while ingredient costs and labor expenses climbed,” reported Bloomberg.
Wal-Mart, while gaining attention and praise recently by environmentalists for its alleged commitment to supporting green products and technology, has also been targeted for selling unhealthy food, cheap. Most recently, the world’s largest supermarket chain received support from Michelle Obama for a commitment to help bring healthier foods into the nation’s food deserts. How exactly buying the nation’s most unhealthy junk food product plays into that commitment has not been made clear, yet.
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Image: Christian Cable
