Latest news with #FerraraCandyCo.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Editorial: As sugar is attacked, Chicago candymaker Ferrara keeps the Nerds coming
These are nervous times in the food industry. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy is centralizing control of health-related agencies under his authority. He's advancing his 'Make America Healthy Again' campaign by, paradoxically, slashing more than 80,000 from the federal health workforce. That sets the stage for what Chicago's Journal of the American Medical Association recently quoted in a headline as, 'guaranteed pandemonium.' Among his bold statements about the modern food supply, Kennedy has said Americans are being 'unknowingly poisoned' by canola and soybean oil, for instance, and described the sale of so-called 'ultra-processed' food like hot dogs and chips to Native Americans as a 'genocide.' He wants to ban long-approved dyes and preservatives. And he's angling to use government power to remake school lunches and prevent food-stamp recipients from shopping in some of the most popular sections of the grocery aisles. Many are applauding him. And as for the sweet stuff most Americans enjoy in moderation? 'Sugar is poison,' Kennedy said last month, and Americans need to know that it's poison. We share his goal of food policy that yields a healthy population. We also have an interest in Chicago-based businesses. The $2 billion Chicago company that makes Lemonheads, Jelly Bellies and Nerds unsurprisingly takes a different view from Kennedy. As Ferrara Candy Co.'s Katie Duffy says, 'Everything we produce is safe to eat.' This page recognizes that sugar has contributed to the obesity epidemic and we don't think that all of Kennedy's warnings are without foundation. But we've also long recoiled against Uncle Sam telling Americans what to eat. If a food product is safe from a scientific standpoint, the government has no business blocking it from the marketplace. Food producers should be honest about what's in their products so people can make informed decisions. Armed with that information, we believe people are smart enough to make their own decisions without Nanny State intervention. Candy is a good example: Do you know anybody who puts Laffy Taffy at the center of the plate for dinner or serves a steak with a side of Twizzlers? Just about everyone understands that too much sugar in the diet can be unhealthy. But people also realize they can safely enjoy a treat now and then without bringing on the deadly, chronic conditions that Kennedy invokes in scare tactics that we worry will backfire. For now, the food industry is proceeding with cautious optimism. At Ferrara, which has a long, proud history of making candy in Chicago, the business outlook is still positive, according to Greg Guidotti, chief marketing officer. Taking a break from handing out Freeze-Dried Sweet Tarts and Nerds Gummy Clusters at a recent trade show in Indianapolis, Guidotti reaffirmed that his fast-growing company sees its future in sugar-based candy (called just 'Sugar' in industry parlance, to distinguish it from 'Chocolate'). 'We have intentions to be the global leader in Sugar,' Guidotti said. 'We're definitely the U.S. leader.' The company's 'shining star,' as he puts it, is the Nerds business, which he said has grown from just $70 million in sales pre-pandemic to $900 million today. 'Nerds Clusters changed the game,' he explained, referencing a product that combines the traditionally crunchy Nerds with those with a gummy center. The National Confectioners Association, which runs the candy show, is focused on ensuring the FDA can do its traditional job. Indeed, the U.S. needs a central regulator to determine what's safe, and as we've written before, food producers should not knowingly add dangerous ingredients into our food supply. And while many are focused on distributing safe, delicious products, it's true that there are major food manufacturers that prioritize low-cost production over guaranteeing a safe, healthy food supply. The FDA must retain the capacity to evaluate food based on science and enact policy that follows science. Consumers are still making room in their budgets for sweets. Last year, retail sales of chocolate, candy, gum and mints topped $54 billion. With sales like this, it's hard not to acknowledge that Americans are consuming a lot of sweets. We're all for enjoying sugar — and Sugar — in moderation. But let's not lose our heads. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
27-05-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: As sugar is attacked, Chicago candymaker Ferrara keeps the Nerds coming
These are nervous times in the food industry. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy is centralizing control of health-related agencies under his authority. He's advancing his 'Make America Healthy Again' campaign by, paradoxically, slashing more than 80,000 from the federal health workforce. That sets the stage for what Chicago's Journal of the American Medical Association recently quoted in a headline as, 'guaranteed pandemonium.' Among his bold statements about the modern food supply, Kennedy has said Americans are being 'unknowingly poisoned' by canola and soybean oil, for instance, and described the sale of so-called 'ultra-processed' food like hot dogs and chips to Native Americans as a 'genocide.' He wants to ban long-approved dyes and preservatives. And he's angling to use government power to remake school lunches and prevent food-stamp recipients from shopping in some of the most popular sections of the grocery aisles. Many are applauding him. And as for the sweet stuff most Americans enjoy in moderation? 'Sugar is poison,' Kennedy said last month, and Americans need to know that it's poison. We share his goal of food policy that yields a healthy population. We also have an interest in Chicago-based businesses. The $2 billion Chicago company that makes Lemonheads, Jelly Bellies and Nerds unsurprisingly takes a different view from Kennedy. As Ferrara Candy Co.'s Katie Duffy says, 'Everything we produce is safe to eat.' This page recognizes that sugar has contributed to the obesity epidemic and we don't think that all of Kennedy's warnings are without foundation. But we've also long recoiled against Uncle Sam telling Americans what to eat. If a food product is safe from a scientific standpoint, the government has no business blocking it from the marketplace. Food producers should be honest about what's in their products so people can make informed decisions. Armed with that information, we believe people are smart enough to make their own decisions without Nanny State intervention. Candy is a good example: Do you know anybody who puts Laffy Taffy at the center of the plate for dinner or serves a steak with a side of Twizzlers? Just about everyone understands that too much sugar in the diet can be unhealthy. But people also realize they can safely enjoy a treat now and then without bringing on the deadly, chronic conditions that Kennedy invokes in scare tactics that we worry will backfire. For now, the food industry is proceeding with cautious optimism. At Ferrara, which has a long, proud history of making candy in Chicago, the business outlook is still positive, according to Greg Guidotti, chief marketing officer. Taking a break from handing out Freeze-Dried Sweet Tarts and Nerds Gummy Clusters at a recent trade show in Indianapolis, Guidotti reaffirmed that his fast-growing company sees its future in sugar-based candy (called just 'Sugar' in industry parlance, to distinguish it from 'Chocolate'). 'We have intentions to be the global leader in Sugar,' Guidotti said. 'We're definitely the U.S. leader.' The company's 'shining star,' as he puts it, is the Nerds business, which he said has grown from just $70 million in sales pre-pandemic to $900 million today. 'Nerds Clusters changed the game,' he explained, referencing a product that combines the traditionally crunchy Nerds with those with a gummy center. The National Confectioners Association, which runs the candy show, is focused on ensuring the FDA can do its traditional job. Indeed, the U.S. needs a central regulator to determine what's , and as we've written before, food producers should not knowingly add dangerous ingredients into our food supply. And while many are focused on distributing safe, delicious products, it's true that there are major food manufacturers that prioritize low-cost production over guaranteeing a safe, healthy food supply. The FDA must retain the capacity to evaluate food based on science and enact policy that follows science. Consumers are still making room in their budgets for sweets. Last year, retail sales of chocolate, candy, gum and mints topped $54 billion. With sales like this, it's hard not to acknowledge that Americans are consuming a lot of sweets. We're all for enjoying sugar — and Sugar — in moderation. But let's not lose our heads.
Chicago Tribune
13-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Former CEO of Ferrara Candy lists Near North Side condo for nearly $5M
Todd Siwak, the former CEO of Ferrara Candy Co., on Wednesday placed his three-bedroom, 3,693-square-foot duplex condominium on the 17th floor of the Near North Side building at 9 W. Walton Street on the market for $4.79 million. Now a private equity executive, Siwak, who is based in St. Louis, led Ferrara Candy and then served as president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America, which acquired Ferrara in 2017. The building at 9 W. Walton Street has drawn significant attention of late, amid billionaire Florida resident Ken Griffin's efforts to sell his four separate full-floor units at the top of the building, including Griffin ultimately unloading two such units late last year for $19 million to Gov. JB Pritzker. Through a Missouri limited liability company, Siwak paid $4.612 million in 2018 for the 17th-floor unit, which is one of only two duplex homes in the building. It has 3-1/2 bathrooms, an open dining room and a living room with a fireplace and a de Giulio dry bar with wine refrigeration. Other features include a kitchen with a large center island, O'Brien Harris cabinetry, iceberg quartzite countertops and backsplash and Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances. The condo also has custom lighting, designer window treatments, millwork, hardwood floors, a more than 300-square-foot terrace and a primary bedroom suite with a built-out dressing room and a marble bathroom with an oversized shower, a soaking tub, dual sinks and a vanity table. Listing agent Jeffrey Lowe of Compass did not immediately provide a comment on the listing. The condo had a $98,161 property tax bill in the 2023 tax year. It also has $3,000-a-month homeowners association dues. Siwak briefly listed the condo last year for $4.995 million in August and September before taking it off the market.
