Grocery store staple Del Monte files for bankruptcy

[quote]Del Monte “says that consumer demand has declined, causing it to incur increased costs related to surplus inventory that it has had to warehouse and attempt to move off shelves with increased promotional spending,”

People are eating fewer fruits and vegetables?

Probably fewer canned fruits and vegetables. I know I rarely buy canned fruits or vegetables, beets being the exception. And Del Monte doesn't sell canned beets (AFAIK). People still buy a lot of canned tomatoes, but most likely not Del Monte.

I was surprised to see this headline today. I worked at the Corporate HQ from 2007 through the end of 2009 (in SF down by the Embarcadero), and Del Monte is much more than just canned fruits and vegetables, or it was back then.

When I went to their website, I saw that they also own Contadina tomato brand, College Inn and Kitchen Basics broth brands, the Joyba bubble tea brand and S & W. They had quite a few more before, including packaged "fresh fruit" that you still see in the produce section.

Oh, well. Time marches on...

Who eats canned vegetables unless it’s for chili?

My mom, a RN, fed us kids canned foods when we were sick. Canned fruit in fruit juice is a bland pleasure, especially ice cold. and of course when I was young, Campbells and progresso had good enough soups to get some salt and minerals in you.

I think people just have more access to fruit they can cut up. Canned foods other than tomatoes for sauce and things like coconut milk or stock are not really needed. Even with stock, it's easy enough and so much better when I can make my own.

Canned corn makes a good snack, cold.

I usually keep a few canned vegetables and fruits on the shelf, just in case. They last forever and they're sometimes more nutritious because fresh veg's and fruit will lose nutrients id not eaten immediately, while canned are packed at the peak of freshness. The one thing that actually tastes better canned vs frozen is corn. I actually love Del Monte canned apricots. As a treat, over ice cream, for ex. They're not in heavy syrup. I also love fresh apricots.

Canned pears are good on cottage cheese.

People are thinking less about the end times and aren't stocking up as much, maybe.

First they came for Libby's and I said nothing.... now this. My childhood is truly gone.

It's just cans of salt. I buy the "low sodium" garbanzos, cut green beans, pinto and kidney beans and still have to rinse them out several times. They're great in 4 Bean Salad with pickled beets and red onions.

Libby's is still around.

I buy canned tomatoes and beans but everything else is fresh or frozen. People today just aren't into canned fruits and vegetables.

I was wondering how long it would take for the I only buy fresh troll to show up.

Is this just kind of like hostess what private equities just going to sell off everything and a new version of the brand will emerge but able to pay employees and suppliers far less.

Another victory in our quest for canned food world domination!

r15 = flyover state resident with infantile food preferences.

I buy canned green beans. They're good.

I still buy their fruit cocktail all the time - nostalgic treat - yum

I buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, but still have these these canned fruits and vegetables on occasion:

- corn, beets, green beans, red beans, white beans, Bush vegetarian beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce/paste

- pineapple, apricots, pears, Mandarin oranges, Freestone peaches. That last item only seems to be available from Del Monte.

The world has been boycotting them because they only allow two fluorescent red cherry halves per can of fruit cocktail. It's triggering and wounding.

There's going to be a lot more scurvy when the apocalypse hits now.

Fewer people to pick

r23 25-60% of Vit C is destroyed in the canning process. but some is better than none.

The only place I see canned fruit any more is in hospitals.

r17=Joan Crawford

R26 Next to or in the jello.

The last time I was at the grocery store, some of those cans of fruit and/or vegetables - name brands - were 3 or 4 dollars. The store brands were always $2 or under. I suspect that might be part of the drop in sales.

That’s expensive for grandma, that’s why she switched to cat food.

For me, there's nothing better than opening a can of corn, draining it, adding some pepper and a pat of butter, microwaving for a minute or two, and you have a great, low-calorie lunch. You'll pay for it later, but it does clean you out.

Corn? When did I have corn? R31 is Carol Channing. 😁

R29, I was just going to post what you said. Store brands are usually much less expensive. I always check to see which is cheaper. I'm making chili next week and just bought Bowl and Basked (Shop Rite brand) becuase they were cheaper. The store brands are canned/bottled/packaged by name brand manufacturers anyway so why not save some money?

The store brands have defective parts and stuff that won't make the cut for the name brands. So no store brands for moi.

That's a shame. I love their Blue Lake green beans, even if they're from a can and not fresh. I tried frozen green beans and they just don't taste as good to me.

Did this happen because more people are buying fresh or frozen because they retain nutrients? I've switched from canned to frozen for other vegetables because of this. I'm just not domestic enough to hand cut and slice fresh vegetables.

I'm familiar with their San Francisco corporate headquarters. They must pay a bundle for the space in One Market Plaza.

This is a drag... I really enjoy their jars of grapefruit slices. Really refreshing in the summer months. Once the slices are eaten, the remaining juice is great. I hope this re-org means this product stays in stores.

Their canned asparagus tasted tinny and had a wood texture. Fuck them.

Canned goods are heavy. I’ll bet every delivery driver is secretly happy there’s one less canned good producer. An alternative would be sachets that are popular in Asia.

The problem is that sachets fuck up recycling, garbage, and compost efforts. In theory we can recycle cans even though we don’t/won’t.

Oh, no! Will they still produce Let’s Make A Deal?

Does this include their canned cling peaches in heavy syrup?

[quote]canned cling peaches in heavy syrup

You drain them, put them in the fridge for a bit, then sprinkle some cinnamon on them. Good eating!!

why didn't they sell themselves off to Nestle or some other big company? Investors would have made more $$$ than bankruptcy.

[quote]I was wondering how long it would take for the I only buy fresh troll to show up.

I'm still waiting for the 'delusional' troll to show up. The one who inserts 'delusional' in every answer.

Such as, "Anyone who buys canned fruits and vegetables over fresh is delusional."

Personally, I know a lot of people (of all ages) who have crossed over to frozen vegetables and fruit from canned goods since the pandemic. I'm guessing because of all the promotion 'frozen vs. canned' has gotten (I see so many feeds on my social media) promoting the nutritional values of frozen.

Marty Stewart advocated flash-frozen vegetables in the late 90s. They retain nutrients and rely upon a healthy freezer instead of salt and bpa-free lined cans.

Please note; QFC does not have a bankruptcy sale for Del Monte products. I wanted to make a scene and say, “These should be free! They’re broke! Pillage!” But I did not. Canned goods are conveniently located next to the liquor department. My can of petite cut tomatoes was from S&W; 48 cents cheaper than Kroger and 1.09 cheaper than yuppie canned tomatoes that can go as high as 6.99 for a 16 oz can.

My mom never used a lot of frozen food, because she thought it tasted terrible, and I agree, most of it does. Rubbery frozen carrots and green beans and flavorless corn are the worst. We usually had fresh (had a big garden, too) but I have some canned stuff on the shelf for when I can't shop or I need to make something in a couple of minutes. I can eat canned string beans or beets, or whatever (fresh beets take forever to cook). I also will buy canned pineapple since fresh is not always ripe and I can't leave a pineapple hanging around for days. But I prefer fresh.

*I have a friend who mostly eats frozen vegetables--I guess you get used to the taste, but I never have.