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Toronto Sun
05-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
CHARLEBOIS: Canned and bankrupt: Why Del Monte lost the shelf war
Del Monte didn't fail because people stopped eating canned food — it failed because it stopped evolving while the market moved on. FILE - In this June 22, 2006 file photo, Del Monte canned vegetables are seen for sale in Berkeley, Calif. Photo by Ben Margot / AP Del Monte's bankruptcy this week stunned many who grew up with its canned fruit cocktail, peas, and corn lining their family pantry. After 139 years, the company has filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States. But this isn't a canary-in-the-coalmine moment for the entire sector — it's more a case study in how legacy brands can fall out of sync with modern market dynamics. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In Canada, the Del Monte brand hasn't truly been 'Del Monte' for some time. In 2018, French multinational Bonduelle acquired the rights to use the Del Monte label for canned fruits and vegetables in Canada, merging it with its existing Arctic Gardens portfolio. While the branding remained familiar, the operational footprint and supply chains became distinctly European. Most Canadians never noticed. The irony is that, despite the growing cultural emphasis on fresh and frozen foods, canned goods are enjoying a quiet resurgence. In Canada, sales in the 'meals and soups' canned category have grown by more than 40% since 2018. In an era of persistent food inflation and rising food insecurity, shelf-stable, affordable, and convenient products like canned foods continue to offer real value. But for Del Monte, perception lagged behind this reality. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Over the past half-century, Canadian consumers have shifted decisively toward frozen and fresh alternatives. The quality gap has narrowed substantially as advances in flash-freezing have preserved nutrient content in ways canned products cannot match. Retail prices for frozen goods have also stabilized, giving consumers more choices and undermining the traditional value proposition of canned staples. Del Monte's problems, however, run much deeper than evolving consumer preferences. The company is facing over a billion dollars in debt and has failed to adapt its product lines and branding to meet modern tastes. It was also blindsided by geopolitical shocks. Steel and aluminum tariffs imposed during the Trump administration inflated packaging costs, which eroded already-thin margins. Few companies in this space were as exposed to those pressures as Del Monte. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Still, the brand isn't going away. It will likely re-emerge under new ownership, streamlined and repositioned. But to thrive, it will need to diversify its SKUs, expand its footprint across more grocery categories, and find ways to compete in a center-of-store battlefield now dominated by agile private labels offering lower prices and faster innovation cycles. This restructuring opens the door for smaller Canadian brands to grow — especially those producing fresh or locally-sourced options. For years, these companies have struggled to scale under the shadow of legacy incumbents like Del Monte. A realignment in the canned food aisle could finally give them the shelf space and leverage they need with major retailers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More One overlooked player in this shakeup is the food bank sector. Traditionally reliant on canned donations, food banks are also evolving. As societal understanding of nutrition deepens, they are shifting toward more diverse, fresh, and culturally relevant offerings. Canned goods still have a role, but no longer the central one they once held. In the end, Del Monte's bankruptcy is not a symptom of an industry in crisis. It's a cautionary tale about brand inertia, trade exposure, and the failure to modernize in a volatile, value-driven food economy. — Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is the Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast RECOMMENDED VIDEO Crime Canada Ontario Canada Other Sports
Toronto Sun
02-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Del Monte, the 139-year-old canned fruits and vegetables company, seeks bankruptcy protection
Published Jul 02, 2025 • 1 minute read FILE - In this June 22, 2006 file photo, Del Monte canned vegetables are seen for sale in Berkeley, Calif. Photo by Ben Margot / AP Del Monte Foods, the 139-year-old company best known for its canned fruits and vegetables, is filing for bankruptcy protection as U.S. consumers increasingly bypass its products for healthier or cheaper options. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Del Monte has secured $912.5 million in debtor-in-possession financing that will allow it to operate normally as the sale progresses. 'After a thorough evaluation of all available options, we determined a court-supervised sale process is the most effective way to accelerate our turnaround and create a stronger and enduring Del Monte Foods,' CEO Greg Longstreet said in a statement. Del Monte Foods, based in Walnut Creek, California, also owns the Contadina tomato brand, College Inn and Kitchen Basics broth brands and the Joyba bubble tea brand. The company has seen sales growth of Joyba and broth in fiscal 2024, but not enough to offset weaker sales of Del Monte's signature canned products. 'Consumer preferences have shifted away from preservative-laden canned food in favor of healthier alternatives,' said Sarah Foss, global head of legal and restructuring at Debtwire, a financial consultancy. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Grocery inflation also caused consumers to seek out cheaper store brands. And President Donald Trump's 50% tariff on imported steel, which went into effect in June, will also push up the prices Del Monte and others must pay for cans. Del Monte Foods, which is owned by Singapore's Del Monte Pacific, was also hit with a lawsuit last year by a group of lenders that objected to the company's debt restructuring plan. The case was settled in May with a loan that increased Del Monte's interest expenses by $4 million annually, according to a company statement. Del Monte said late Thursday that the bankruptcy filing is part of a planned sale of company's assets. Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Ontario Weird Celebrity
Boston Globe
18-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Retired at sea: Why one woman spends 10 months a year cruising the world
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'This is not a vacation,' Johnston says, 'This is life.' Advertisement The Johnston sisters are not alone in trading in land-based retirement for a life at sea. Interest in months-long, globe-trotting cruises is rising among travelers with enough free time (and deep pockets) to make it happen. The cruise industry has responded, offering more long-range cruises with increasingly varied itineraries. Royal Caribbean's Ultimate World Cruise, a 274-day voyage that gained some TikTok notoriety, was the longest voyage in the industry to date. But nearly every major cruise line now offers long-range cruises to a growing audience, and they're expanding their rosters. Advertisement In addition to the Grand Voyages, Holland America has also added a new category of Legendary cruises, with sailings ranging from 25 to 53 days. These cruises include popular voyages like the 27-Day Amazon Explorer, round-trip from Miami, and the 35-Day Voyage of the Vikings, round-trip from Boston. The Regent cruise ship Seven Seas Mariner in 2020. Ben Margot/Associated Press Regent Seven Seas has unveiled its longest cruise to date, sailing in 2026. The 154-day A Viking ocean ship in Sydney, Australia, an overnight destination during a World Cruise. Alastair Miller Viking currently offers nine world cruise options, from 121 to 180 days, including the 180-day Advertisement World cruises tend to sell out fast, so travel advisors recommend Viking's World Voyage III will journey around the world in 170 days, visiting 41 countries with 82 guided tours and overnight stays in 18 cities. Pictured here, a map of the route and ports of call planned for the new Viking World Voyage III itinerary for 2026-2027. 'Because world cruise itineraries can be very popular, we always recommend planning as far out as possible,' says Richard Marnell, Viking executive vice president of marketing. 'We are already selling space on our 2026 departures.' So, what's it like to spend 120+ days at sea? We caught up with Johnston at the start of her 53-day Majestic Japan cruise (a 'warm-up' to the two longer world cruises she's taking this year) to ask about her life on the ship, and her tips for long-range cruising. Don't you miss family and friends? 'What's the difference if you head to a condo in Florida or Phoenix for the winter?' Johnston says. But she admits that staying connected with her land-based family and friends takes more planning and work. 'I have to work at staying in touch with everyone,' she says. She schedules meetups well in advance, timed for when she's not cruising, and sometimes joins conversations via Zoom. She also writes a daily blog, posting comments and pictures of where she's been and her life on the ship. But she's also built a community of friends that she connects with on sailings. 'There are a lot of repeat cruisers. I've run into a lot of people and crew that I've met on past cruises,' she says. 'I've made a lot of friends, and they've become like family.' Advertisement Jo Johnston, a veteran long-range cruise passenger, poses with a chef aboard Holland America, her preferred cruise line. Pamela Wright Does it ever get old? 'We're exploring new places almost every day!' she says. 'It never gets old.' Not only are there new ports and off-ship excursions, Johnston says, but there are also a slew of extracurricular activities, on-board lectures, daily entertainment, and clubs (i.e. painting, arts and crafts, bridge, and music) to join on the ship. 'The days take on a rhythm,' Johnston says. 'I try to do several excursions and use the at-sea days to catch up with stuff like laundry, reading, blogging, and just relaxing.' How do you not gain weight? 'I actually lose weight on cruises,' Johnston says. 'The first thing I do when I board a cruise is head to the fitness center to weigh myself.' She keeps a list of what she drinks and eats, so she's carefully watching her diet, but says that it's easier to lose weight on board than at home. 'There's so much variety and a lot of healthy meal options offered on the ship,' she says. 'When I get home, meeting up with friends at restaurants, is when it gets hard.' Why Holland America, why not switch it up? 'It's largely itinerary driven. I like the destinations and ports that they visit.' Johnston says. 'I have one rule, and that's not to repeat experiences, and they offer lots of variety.' Johnston also likes re-connecting with former shipmates. 'I'd say about half the cruisers on long-range voyages are repeat customers.' And loyal cruisers get perks, like discounts on beverage packages, specialty restaurant surcharges, and on-board purchases, along with special receptions, priority boarding, and free laundry services — a big one for long-range cruisers. Advertisement What about costs? 'I'll either run out of money or life at some point,' Johnston quipped. But she watches the money closely, keeping an Excel-style spreadsheet detailing daily expenses. She estimated that her world cruises cost around $50,000 each. She looks for ways to save, planning her day carefully, and attending welcome parties and happy hours to save on beverages. She also books an inside cabin. 'You're mainly in your room to sleep, and there are lots of places to get outside on the ship.' Any other tips? 'Book your cruise in advance as much as you can,' she suggested. 'You'll have more time to save for it and more time to research ports to plan what you really want to see and do.' Bon Voyage, Jo! Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at
