Pinnacle Foods of Parsippany, New Jersey, announced this week that, in connection with the company’s ongoing portfolio review, it has decided to exit certain “low-margin and non-strategic” Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast products sold to retail and foodservice customers. The announcement follows the company’s voluntary recall last week that involved Aunt Jemima and Hungry Man brand frozen pancakes, french toast and waffles because Listeria monocytogenes was found in a production facility.
Pinnacle Foods CEO Mark Clouse said, “The decision to exit these products now was the appropriate action for Pinnacle. It is consistent with our plans to enhance the ongoing margin of the company and focus our efforts and investments on more profitable growth opportunities longer term. While the timing of this exit was accelerated by the voluntary recall we initiated last week, these items are low-margin, non-strategic SKUs that we expected to exit at some point in the foreseeable future.”
The specific Aunt Jemima frozen retail products being discontinued reflect 16 SKUs across frozen waffles, frozen french toast slices and frozen pancakes. In addition, the company is discontinuing select frozen breakfast items sold to foodservice customers.
Frozen Aunt Jemima retail products that the company will continue to market represent higher-margin and more differentiated items, including mini pancakes, french toast sticks, breakfast entrees and Griddle Poppers, according to Pinnacle Foods. The company makes, distributes and markets Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast products under a trademark license agreement with the Quaker Oats Co.
