Hostess: Twinkies to return to shelves July 15

NEW YORK (AP) — Hostess is betting on a sweet comeback for Twinkies when they return to shelves next month.

The company that went bankrupt after an acrimonious fight with its unionized workers last year is back up and running under new owners and a leaner structure. It says it plans to have Twinkies and other snack cakes back on shelves starting July 15.

Based on the outpouring of nostalgia sparked by its demise, Hostess is expecting a blockbuster return next month for Twinkies and other sugary treats, such as CupCakes and Donettes. The company says the cakes will taste the same but that the boxes will now bear the tag line "The Sweetest Comeback In The History Of Ever."

"A lot of impostor products have come to the market while Hostess has been off the shelves," says Daren Metropoulos, a principal of the investment firm Metropoulos & Co., which teamed up with Apollo Global Management to buy a variety of Hostess snacks.

Hostess Brands Inc. was struggling for years before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in early 2012. Workers blamed the troubles on years of mismanagement, as well as a failure of executives to invest in brands to keep up with changing tastes. The company said it was weighed down by higher pension and medical costs than its competitors, whose employees weren't unionized.

To steer it through its bankruptcy reorganization, Hostess hired restructuring expert Greg Rayburn as its CEO. But Rayburn ultimately failed to reach a contract agreement with its second largest union. In November, he blamed striking workers for crippling the company's ability to maintain normal production and announced that Hostess would liquidate.

The shuttering triggered a rush on Hostess snack cakes, with stores selling out of the most popular brands within hours.

About 15,000 unionized workers lost their jobs in the aftermath.

In unwinding its business, Hostess sold off its brands in chunks to different buyers. Its major bread brands including Wonder were sold to Flowers Foods, which makes Tastykakes. McKee Foods, which makes Little Debbie snack cakes, snapped up Drake's Cake, which includes Devil Dogs and Yodels.

Full story HERE

yes

Meh...

Nothing ever tastes quite like a true twinkie. It is amazing that they can't duplicate the flavor exactly.

I wonder if they will taste like they use to, or if they'll have to stay with the changed formula. I don't eat Twinkies very often. Hadn't eaten one in years, but just wanted some one day about a month before they were gone and it was AWFUL.

Did you know that each Twinkie contains 37 ingredients?


The six worst ingredients are:

Red 40: Synthetic food coloring is made from a mix of lab chemicals combined with petro-chemicals. The EU and Britain have banned artificial food dyes as they consider these compounds to be harmful to human health. In the U.S, Red 40 is the most widely used food dye.

Yellow 5: Yellow 5 is the second most commonly used artificial food coloring in the US. It’s also known as tartrazine or E102. It can cause a number of different allergic reactions including everything from mild itching and a skin rash to more serious allergies.

Polysorbate 60: Polysorbate 60 is short for polyoxyethylene-(20)-sorbitan monostearate. This is an emulsifier that is widely used in processed foods. It’s made from a combination of hydrogenated corn syrup, Malaysian palm oil that’s been converted into stearic acid (something used in shampoos) and ethylene oxide which is made from a component of natural gas and a substance that was used as an explosive during the Vietnam War.

Monoglycerides: Monoglycerides are a type of food additive used to combine ingredients containing fats with those that contain water – two types of ingredients that don’t normally combine well. They are similar to triglycerides but considered an emulsifier rather than a lipid.
These distilled monoglycerides extend the shelf life and often used in processed foods and as an emulsifier in shortening, margarine and cream fillings. They are also used in plastics, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and industrial packing material.

Diglycerides:

As diglycerides are also considered to be emulsifiers they fall under the same category as monoglycerides; a diglyceride is made up of two fatty acid chains whereas monoglycerides consist of one fatty acid chain.

Like monoglycerides, they also contain trans-fat but do not have to be listed on a food label. They are just as harmful to cholesterol levels and increase the chances for numerous diseases and illness. Diglycerides are often found in whipped creams, baked goods, chewing gums, shortening, soaps and face wash.

High Fructose Corn Syrup:

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a big part of the reason for the skyrocketing obesity rates in America today. This poison is responsible for numerous diseases, illness and general poor health, with many well-documented risks. It is said to set the stage for diseases you wouldn’t even want to imagine, let alone experience.

HFCS contributes to fat deposits in the liver, increases the buildup of lipoproteins and leads to plaque buildup and the narrowing of blood vessels. It also worsens diabetes, causes metabolic syndrome, damages the immune system and much more.

Source: The Alternative Daily.

MacDaddy said:

Did you know that each Twinkie contains 37 ingredients?


The six worst ingredients are:

Red 40: Synthetic food coloring is made from a mix of lab chemicals combined with petro-chemicals. The EU and Britain have banned artificial food dyes as they consider these compounds to be harmful to human health. In the U.S, Red 40 is the most widely used food dye.

Yellow 5: Yellow 5 is the second most commonly used artificial food coloring in the US. It’s also known as tartrazine or E102. It can cause a number of different allergic reactions including everything from mild itching and a skin rash to more serious allergies.

Polysorbate 60: Polysorbate 60 is short for polyoxyethylene-(20)-sorbitan monostearate. This is an emulsifier that is widely used in processed foods. It’s made from a combination of hydrogenated corn syrup, Malaysian palm oil that’s been converted into stearic acid (something used in shampoos) and ethylene oxide which is made from a component of natural gas and a substance that was used as an explosive during the Vietnam War.

Monoglycerides: Monoglycerides are a type of food additive used to combine ingredients containing fats with those that contain water – two types of ingredients that don’t normally combine well. They are similar to triglycerides but considered an emulsifier rather than a lipid.
These distilled monoglycerides extend the shelf life and often used in processed foods and as an emulsifier in shortening, margarine and cream fillings. They are also used in plastics, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and industrial packing material.

Diglycerides:

As diglycerides are also considered to be emulsifiers they fall under the same category as monoglycerides; a diglyceride is made up of two fatty acid chains whereas monoglycerides consist of one fatty acid chain.

Like monoglycerides, they also contain trans-fat but do not have to be listed on a food label. They are just as harmful to cholesterol levels and increase the chances for numerous diseases and illness. Diglycerides are often found in whipped creams, baked goods, chewing gums, shortening, soaps and face wash.

High Fructose Corn Syrup:

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a big part of the reason for the skyrocketing obesity rates in America today. This poison is responsible for numerous diseases, illness and general poor health, with many well-documented risks. It is said to set the stage for diseases you wouldn’t even want to imagine, let alone experience.

HFCS contributes to fat deposits in the liver, increases the buildup of lipoproteins and leads to plaque buildup and the narrowing of blood vessels. It also worsens diabetes, causes metabolic syndrome, damages the immune system and much more.

Source: The Alternative Daily.

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I used to love Twinkies when I was a kid and then didn't have one for like 15 years. Then after watching Zombieland, I was craving one so bad I bought one and was severly disappointed. I thought it was disgusting

MacDaddy said:

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Well...when they DO come back...the first thing I'm going to do is hit the "Chip Shop" in Brooklyn for one of their deep-fried twinkies.

DOUBLE the carcinogens!

LionsAndTigers said:

I used to love Twinkies when I was a kid and then didn't have one for like 15 years. Then after watching Zombieland, I was craving one so bad I bought one and was severly disappointed. I thought it was disgusting

In all honesty (don't tell MacDaddy) I can only get through HALF of a twinkie...I don't know how to convey this in English; pero me empalagan.

chocolate1 said:

Me too, homey! I never did like them things. Makes my teeth hurt just looking at them.

PurpleJedi said:

I never liked twinkies and still don't. Years ago, I had a fetish for the raspberry zingers then that faded, then it was ding dongs and that faded, I think I still like their fruit pies even though I haven't tried one in a while. My cheap will kill you early fully processed sweets are entenmann's donuts and Little Debbie's nutty bars

Shyra said:

chocolate1 said:

Me too, homey! I never did like them things. Makes my teeth hurt just looking at them.

aardvark15 said:

PurpleJedi said:

I don't know how to convey this in English; pero me empalagan.

But I cloy

morningsong said:

I never liked twinkies and still don't. Years ago, I had a fetish for the raspberry zingers then that faded, then it was ding dongs and that faded, I think I still like their fruit pies even though I haven't tried one in a while. My cheap will kill you early fully processed sweets are entenmann's donuts and Little Debbie's nutty bars

In all honesty...I loved Chocodiles as a kid.



Even though it's just a chocolate-covered twinkie...I much rather eat that than a plain old twinkie.

PurpleJedi said:

Shyra said:

Me too, homey! I never did like them things. Makes my teeth hurt just looking at them.

I probably told this story before, but I had a "bad experience" on a field trip with a squashed Twinkie on a hot school bus...
Now I can't even look at them!

chocolate1 said:

PurpleJedi said:

I probably told this story before, but I had a "bad experience" on a field trip with a squashed Twinkie on a hot school bus...
Now I can't even look at them!

Was this when you were a student or as a teacher?

Does anyone remember the big fat Swiss Rolls? Not the chocolate covered double pack you get now but this big huge roll? Me and a friend of mine use to love those things. The two little ones just don't taste the same.

Deadflow3r said:

chocolate1 said:

I probably told this story before, but I had a "bad experience" on a field trip with a squashed Twinkie on a hot school bus...
Now I can't even look at them!

Was this when you were a student or as a teacher?

A student. 4th or 5th grade.
We went on a field trip and had to pack lunches in brown bags.
My mom made me a PBJ snadwich, and threw in a Twinkie and a juice.
We had to leave our lunches on the hot school bus.
Everything was hot and smashed...
I ate it, then a little while later...
I haven't been able to eat those things since.

chocolate1 said:

hate em too

SweeTeaII said:

Recently spoke with a friend who was one of the unionized workers that lost her job after 20 something years. She told me Hostess liquidated to avoid paying workers a fair wage...in support of the union workers I will not be purchasing anymore cupcakes under the Hostess brand name...Ms Freshley's is way way better anyway...moist and soft like Hostess used to be. And the Twinkies, forget about it...cream covered with a thin layer of cake...the hell with Hostess!

That's exactly what happened. Fuck'um.

I've never been a fan of store bought cakes or bake products. When you've been use to sweets made from scratch... that stuff off of store shelves is on estep away from dog food.

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[Edited 6/29/13 7:07am]

PurpleJedi said:

aardvark15 said:

PurpleJedi said: But I cloy

I think it's a literal translation of what you said. "Empalagan" literally translates to "cloy" which means "too much sweetness".