We all love lists. We like to check “best-ever” lists to see if our favorite movies, books or songs make the cut. We pour over the Forbes World’s Billionaires list to see which Americans appear there. And many of us will spend time on New Year’s Day perusing compilations of the best and worst of seemingly everything that occurred in 2012.
Bakers and snack producers also witnessed numerous changes in the food industry this year, which were viewed positively by some and negatively by others. Acquisitions and mergers, in particular, seemed to dominate industry news. In March, Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc. announced that it was separating its grocery and snack food businesses into two separate entities—Kraft Food Group and Mondelez International, respectively. Flowers Foods Inc., Thomasville, Ga., added Lepage Bakeries Inc., Auburn Me., to its fold shortly thereafter. And it’s anyone’s guess what the future holds for Hostess Brands, which, as of presstime in October, filed a plan to emerge from Chapter 11 protection and restructure.