Skip to content
Support Us

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Macaroni and cheese, in all its glory Daryn Nakhuda

Kraft and Heinz are merging to make a giant company with lots of food like this

Arteries of the world, prepare to get clogged.

US PROCESSED FOOD giants Kraft and Heinz are planning a merger which will create the fifth-largest food and drink company in the world.

The combined firm, imaginatively titled the Kraft Heinz Company, will have an annual turnover of about $28 billion after the deal brokered by billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and a Brazilian company.

Both food companies have histories in the US stretching back over a century, but the merger comes as many producers struggle to keep up with customers’ tastes as the public appetite shifts away from junk food to healthier products.

In its home country, Kraft is known for making products like Macaroni & Cheese, Jell-O and Velveeta processed cheese.

Heinz is best-recognised for its famous tomato ketchup, one of the world’s highest-selling condiments, as well as its baked beans and baby foods.

Here’s how all those brands look together:

Heinz

‘Pretty enduring’ tastes

Buffett, whose company has been investing in both firms for a while, said the tastes the companies appealed to were “pretty enduring”.

He told CNBC there was scope to expand company’s sales outside the US and Canada.

Hornets Cavaliers Basketball Billionaire investor Warren Buffett Mark Duncan / AP/Press Association Images Mark Duncan / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

Kraft spun off its global snacks business into Mondelez International in 2012 to focus on the US grocery market, with the new company taking brands like Cadbury, Trident gum and Oreo biscuits with it.

Modelez, which recently announced it was cutting back its factory operations in Ireland, also supplies products like Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese in Europe.

Kraft shareholders will get a special windfall payment worth about $10 billion in return for taking a minority 49% stake in the combined company.

Kraft Velveeta JeepersMedia JeepersMedia

The merger announcement has already sparked fears of widespread job cuts in the US after the companies said they expected “synergies” worth up to $1.5 billion a year in annual savings from the deal.

The two companies currently employ nearly 29,000 people in North America.

- With AP

READ: Cadbury workers who lost their jobs to get help from government group >

READ: This man thinks there’s a big future in Irish beef jerky >

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
47 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Morgan Freeman
    Favourite Morgan Freeman
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 11:46 AM

    “Source: The Journal”

    Seriously.

    159
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Veronika Hladová
    Favourite Veronika Hladová
    Report
    Aug 31st 2015, 1:40 PM

    Does the ministry for Irish not speak Irish either, wtf

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cupid Stunt
    Favourite Cupid Stunt
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:08 PM

    yet again we see one rule for tds and another for the rest of us. what employer would offer me a job if my cv stated I’d no knowledge of an essential part of the position. do you think the employer would take me on and then pay for me to gain knowledge in the subject. it’s just bonkers. they won’t apply the same rights for everyone else and only last week it’s transpires that a private company has offered to pay for a teacher in the aran islands, no funding for the kids one on one there courtesy of the govt, no that only applies to the pampered few in leinster house.

    157
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave cullen
    Favourite Dave cullen
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:46 PM

    Hope he’s a quick learner because they don’t have a lot of time left in office.

    106
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Toffeemac
    Favourite Toffeemac
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:07 PM

    Poor Joe doesn’t realise Montreal and Nova Scotia are in Canada, good lad!

    146
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Get Lost Eircodes
    Favourite Get Lost Eircodes
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:24 PM

    On the continent of North America….containing Americans… Shocker!!!

    60
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ronnie256
    Favourite Ronnie256
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 11:58 AM

    For those of you who are perhaps not too happy with Joe McHugh, in particular with his recent decision to stop the vital aeroplane service to The Aran Islands, celebrated Ghaelacht Islands, sign this petition now. If Joe McHugh really cared for the Ghaeltacht, he would’t be getting rid of such a necessary service.
    Petition here: https://www.change.org/p/joe-mchugh-enda-kenny-save-the-aran-islands-aeroplane-service/

    138
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Simon Burke
    Favourite Simon Burke
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:10 PM

    It’s getting replaced by a helicopter service. Is that not worth mentioning or do we just have to get in a rage about everything?

    113
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Get Lost Eircodes
    Favourite Get Lost Eircodes
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:23 PM

    Helis can operate in rougher weather and the winning bid came in €300,000 lower than the encumbent what’s the problem?

    109
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alien8
    Favourite Alien8
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 2:06 PM

    it’s change. they just don’t like change for the sake of it, even though the company operating them are also from Galway and have to provide the same service for the same price to islanders.

    42
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Get Lost Eircodes
    Favourite Get Lost Eircodes
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 8:41 PM

    Not like the Eircode tender where the winner gave the third placed a juicy contract in UK 2 years after they mysteriously withdrew. And winner will give €23.6 million of the €27 million tender to second place An Post. And even though Loc8 code offered a perfect post code for free…could a tender be any more corrupt?

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute niall mullins
    Favourite niall mullins
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:15 PM

    He was fluent in bull shit long before he was handed his cushy number. Seems to be a prerequisite for being a FG TD though.

    118
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
    Favourite Anne Marie Devlin
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:38 PM

    The question about being taught by a non native teacher was a bit odd seeing that the vast majority of school kids in Ireland are taught Irish, French, German etc by non native speaker teachers. In fact worldwide more than 80% of language teachers are not native speakers.

    104
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute little jim
    Favourite little jim
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 11:59 AM

    Is this lad a mature student or an intern? Seems like an expensive education at our expense. Btw the ersi report shows an increase of 18% in attitude, that’s not the small figure Enda was referring to, would someone ask some pertinent questions please.

    91
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute dmn
    Favourite dmn
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:52 PM

    A documentary on radio 1 showed how bad mc hugh is at irish, you don’t pick it up in a year. He only lives a few miles from the gaeltacht too.

    61
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Setanta Landers
    Favourite Setanta Landers
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 1:57 PM

    Good for him. I applaud him learning and showing by example it can easily be done with hard work and determination besides moaning about him not been born into an Irish speaking family.

    60
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute little jim
    Favourite little jim
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 9:52 PM

    You learn Irish at school, or you would do if there was any competence around the subject. Handing out the portfolio like a treat has it this way, this lad seems to be on a personal journey, he’s a bloody Minister.

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Mc
    Favourite Paul Mc
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 11:44 AM

    No comment.

    52
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute @mdmak33
    Favourite @mdmak33
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 2:25 PM

    another parasite.

    32
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Roche
    Favourite Paul Roche
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 12:59 PM

    “Minister Qualifies”
    An educational achievement for Enda the Educator, pyrrhic for Enda the Taoiseach.

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Martin Kavanagh
    Favourite Martin Kavanagh
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 8:17 PM

    Tir gan teanga ……..

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chauncey Gardiner
    Favourite Chauncey Gardiner
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 8:40 PM

    Tir gan eolas!

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Aoibhe Ní Shúilleabháin
    Favourite Aoibhe Ní Shúilleabháin
    Report
    Aug 31st 2015, 7:28 AM

    …agus tír gon anam. :(

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Ó Duḃṫaiġ
    Favourite Paul Ó Duḃṫaiġ
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 9:50 PM

    I’d be surprise if Joe keeps his seat at next election. Donegal is going from 6 seats (2 x 3 seat constuitency) to a 5 seater (with chunk of South Donegal going into new “Sligo–Leitrim” constituency.

    The fact that he was given job in first place was probably to rise his profile come the election, same can be said for Heather Humphries whose seat is also probably marginal.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Conor
    Favourite Conor
    Report
    Aug 30th 2015, 8:40 PM

    Who gives a f**k, really.. This is not news

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
    Favourite Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
    Report
    Aug 31st 2015, 1:50 PM

    Perhaps he could visit the Aran Islands. He mightn’t learn many beannachtaí but would definitely get invaluable experience of mallachtaí, given his ridiculous decision to stop the Air Aran service. As they say McHugh Níl son tóin tinn mar do thóin tinn féin.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
    Favourite Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
    Report
    Aug 31st 2015, 1:54 PM

    *aon*

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Stephen Devlin
    Favourite Stephen Devlin
    Report
    Aug 31st 2015, 9:21 AM

    Bye bye Joe

    2
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds