State fair vendors across the nation might be stockpiling like crazy today as Hostess Brands, makers of the Twinkie and other processed pastry treats, announced it has ceased production and is filing federal bankruptcy to close operations.
The company is also known for such products as Ding Dongs, Sno Balls, Fruit Pies, and Wonder Bread. According to CNN Money, the food makers are blaming a strike by bakers as their reasons for needing to close. The bakers were protesting a new contract that was recently imposed on them. The contracts cut salaries, pensions, and health care contributions.
If the company is granted permission by the courts to close their doors, more than 18,000 employees will lose their jobs, 33 bakeries and distribution centers will close, along with nearly 600 outlet stores.
Hostess is shutting down, citing the increased health care costs of their employees. They sort of made their own bed there, didn’t they?
— Will McAvoy (@WillMcAvoyACN) November 16, 2024
Does this mean the end to the iconic Twinkie or its cult classic “The Deep Fried Twinkie?” cousin? Not necessarily. The report states that Hostess will attempt to liquidate its assets and that may mean another brand may bid for the rights to the Twinkie. However, the company cannot sell anything off until the courts have approved their bankruptcy. For now, the last shipments of Hostess foods was made Thursday night. Stores will continue to sell the products until they’re gone.
Shelves may look different if these brands disappear for good. The company was the number two bread maker in the nation as well. With brands like Wonder Bread, Nature’s Pride, and Butternut on its roster, many familiar packages will be missing from store shelves very soon.
However, the shining star of the show was the Twinkie. CNN reported that the company made 500 million of the creme-filled treats every year. The icons have been on shelves since 1930 and have so many stories surrounding them. As news cracked this morning, many joked that they could buy some today and keep them for their great-grandchildren, because supposedly the cakes never go bad. Despite the high amounts of preservatives, Hostess says, Twinkies really only have a 25 day shelf life. President Clinton placed a package in the Millennium Time Capsule in 1999, scheduled to be opened in 2100. I guess time will tell if they really can spoil.
A second birth was given to these calorie-dense (150 per cake), sugar-loaded (18g per cake), nutrient-void treats when the state fairs began battering and deep frying them on a stick for fair-goers. As if they weren’t rough enough on your system in their original form, we found a way to make matters worse. Fairs and Fried Twinkies are nearly synonymous. This coming year’s fair scene could be quite different.
Job loss is devastating, and we wouldn’t celebrate that news. But you’ll have a hard time hearing me or my healthy-minded cohorts expressing too much sorrow over the disappearance of a food that is rumored to have a shelf life of 50 years and cut at least that much off your life. Can you even call that food?
Fooducate.com says not really. They suggest you consider the 37 ingredients it takes to make a Twinkie. “A lot of the additives here are various chemicals in powder form,” they wrote. “Something to picture in your mind the next time you bite into a chemistry lab experiment turned ‘food.'”
Also Read:
6 Common Food Preservatives and Their Nasty Side Effects
Twinkie Diet Helps Professor Lose 27 Pounds
The High Cost of Diabetes: $2 Billion per Year