Ardent Mills L.L.C. on May 10 announced plans to close four U.S. flour mills. The company said the closings reflected analysis of current and prospective flour demand and would enhance the company’s operating efficiency. With a combined daily milling capacity of 23,600 cwts, the mills are located in Macon, Ga. (6,500 cwts); Rush City, Minn. (10,000 cwts); Loudonville, Ohio (4,500 cwts); and Red Lion, Pa. (2,600 cwts). To read more click here.

The Ferrero Group in late July completed its $1.3 billion acquisition of Kellogg Co.’s cookie, fruit and fruit-flavored snack, ice cream cone and pie crust businesses.

With the sale, Ferrero acquired a portfolio that includes Keebler, Famous Amos, Mother’s and Murray cookies, as well as Little Brownie Bakers, supplier of cookies to the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Other brands in the transaction include Stretch Island and Fruit Snacks fruit flavored snacks and Keebler’s ice cream cones and pie crust products. Ferrero also acquired six food manufacturing facilities from Kellogg Co. located in Allyn, Wash.; Augusta, Ga.; Florence and Louisville, Ky.; and Chicago, as well as a leased manufacturing facility in Baltimore. To read more click here.

Increased international outreach, cost-effective booth pricing and enhanced programming helped the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) reach new heights in 2019. Held Sept. 7-11 in Las Vegas, the triennial show is the largest trade event in the Western Hemisphere for the grain-based foods industry.

More than 20,000 bakers attended IBIE, a nearly 10% increase from 2016. The trade show reported that a sizeable portion of the growth came from international markets. Attendees from more than 100 countries made up almost 30% of the total attendance, with the largest participation coming from Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Japan and Mexico. To read more click here.

In May, Kind Healthy Snacks unveiled plans to enter the frozen category with the launch of Kind Frozen, a frozen creamy nut bar featuring almonds, dark chocolate and sea salt. The product contains 190 calories and 11 grams of sugar per serving. The news resonated with bakingbusiness.com readers, who continue to show interest in new product innovation. To read more click here.

The Food and Drug Administration in late October announced it will not focus on enforcement actions for six months after a new Nutrition Facts Label goes into effect on Jan. 1. Instead, during the first six months of 2020, the F.D.A. will work with manufacturers to meet the new Nutrition Facts Label requirements.

The F.D.A. said it heard from several manufacturers and groups that more time may be needed to meet all the requirements. The Food & Beverage Issue Alliance listed problems with meeting the new requirements in a Sept. 30 letter to the F.D.A. Thirteen industry groups made up the alliance. To read more click here.

Archer Daniels Midland Co. in late April announced plans to close one of its two Minneapolis flour mills as well as its flour mill in Salina, Kas. The announcements come several months after the company began production at its modernized flour mill in Oklahoma and a few months before commissioning a completely new flour mill in Illinois. To read more click here.

The Cincinnati-based company in January began operations at an updated 190,000-square-foot bakery that houses three lines, including a high-speed bread, bun and donut line. Overall, the bread line cranks out 15 varieties of sandwich bread at a rate of up to 180 loaves a minute and 14 types of hamburger and hot dog buns at up to 5,400 dozen pieces per hour, said Kevin Stevens, vice-president of operations. To read more click here.

Bimbo Bakeries USA is looking to grab a slice of the growing single-person household demographic with the launch of Simply Small bread. The new bread line is available under the Arnold, Brownberry and Oroweat brands and comes packaged 10 slices per 14-oz bag.

The bread is available in two varieties: honey oat and white with whole milk. Both varieties have no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors as well as no high-fructose corn syrup. The bread also contains no trans fat. To read more click here.

Key baking and grain groups applauded the House of Representatives’ passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (U.S.M.C.A.) and have urged the U.S. Senate to ratify the agreement as well.

The House of Representatives on Dec. 19 approved by a vote of 385 to 41 the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (H.R. 5430). The House referred the bill to the Senate, which was expected to consider the measure early next year. To read more click here.

Brill Inc., a subsidiary of CSM Bakery Solutions, announced plans to cease production at its frozen facility in Tucker, Ga., by the end of 2019. The plant makes a variety of baked foods, including cookies, decorated cakes and laminated dough.

The closing will impact 240 employees, Brill said.

Last year, CSM Bakery Solutions rebranded its North American operations under the Brill brand, a move the company’s top executive said would revitalize one of baking’s “iconic and respected brands.” To read more click here.