Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods NYSE: KFT (named after James Lewis Kraft) is the third largest international food products corporation (after Unilever and Nestlé). It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, but is majority owned by the Altria Group, which took control in 1988 (when it was known as Philip Morris). Kraft is headquartered in Glenview, Cook County, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
Brands
In the US, it is best known for its cheese products, especially Kraft Macaroni and cheese (known as Kraft Dinner in Canada). Other brands with a large presence in various markets throughout the world include Dairylea (in the UK), Jacobs (coffee), Suchard, Baker's, Toblerone, Daim, Milka, Miracle Whip, Philadelphia, Vegemite, Velveeta, Oscar Mayer, Jell-O Gelatin dessert, Planters, Post Cereals, Knox gelatin, Stove Top stuffing, Kool-Aid, and Capri Sun (in North America only). In Germany, it is best known for Miracoli, a convenience pasta product developed in the 1960s, as well as Kaffee Hag. Digiorno is a trademark for the frozen pizzas (known as Delissio in Canada).
Cereal
100% Bran, Alpha-Bits, Banana Nut Crunch, Blueberry Morning, CarbWell, Cinna-Cluster Raisin Bran, Cranberry Almond Crunch, Frosted Shredded Wheat, Fruit & Fibre, Golden Crisp, Grape-Nuts, Great Grains, Honey Bunches of Oats, Honeycomb, Natural Bran Flakes, Oreo O's, Pebbles*, Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, Shredded Wheat ‘n Bran, Spoon Size Shredded Wheat, Toasties, Waffle Crisp
Kraft in Australia
Kraft produces one of Australia's favourite products, Vegemite, other products include:
- Philadelphia cream cheese
- Kraft Singles, Cheese Spread and Cheddar Cheeses
- Maxwell House Coffee
- Jacobs Coffee
- Toblerone
- Nabisco biscuits (Oreo, Ritz, "In A Biskit", Chips Ahoy and Captains Table)
- Kraft Peanut Butter
- Kraft Salad Dressings
Kraft in the U.K.
Kraft's base of operations in the U.K. is in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Products include:
- Philadelphia cream cheese
- Terry's Chocolate Orange
- Kenco coffee
- Dairylea cheese
Kraft in Canada
James Lewis Kraft, founder of the Kraft Foods Company, was born and raised in Stevensville, Ontario (northwest of Fort Erie) before moving to Chicago to market processed cheese. Kraft's base of operations in Canada is in Ontario. Products include:
- Christie (the Canadian division of Nabisco)
- Kraft Peanut Butter
- Jello
- Kraft cheeses (Singles, Cracker Barrel, Petit Quebec, etc)
Diversity
Kraft received a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign starting in 2004, the third year of the report. In addition, the company was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in 2004 by Working Mothers magazine.
See also
News
In 1992 the gelatin industry, in particular Kraft's Atlantic Gelatin plant in Woburn, Massachusetts, which supplies the vast majority of Jell-O, came under scrutiny for a history of noxious smells, toxic waste releases into Boston Harbor, and a policy of corporate secrecy. Heading off a rash of local complaints, industry lobbyists invited Massachusetts state representatives Paul Casey and Carol Donovan into the plant. However, the representatives were barred from going past the conference room. Repeated requests for a plant tour by journalists were refused. In 1993 the plant was hit with a $250,000 fine for violating the Clean Air Act of 1970. In a February 4 1996 article, the Associated Press reported that a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection official was one of only a few outsiders who had seen the inside of the Woburn plant.
In 2005, Kraft was sued for spamming its Gevalia coffee brand by *Hypertouch, an ISP. Kraft was accused of sending multiple waves of spam to the ISP, and the action brought under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 act. At the time this addition to the Wikipedia article was added, the suit had not yet been ruled upon.