USA: Interstate Bakeries files for bankruptcy (Twinkies Broke)

[Jacobin]

US wholesale baker Interstate Bakeries has said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The company, whose brands include Wonder and Hostess, said it had filed a case under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code in order to provide it with the necessary time to complete an operational and financial restructuring.

http://www.just-food.com/news_detail.asp?art=58725

:shrug:

WTF is up with that?

[KlatooBNikto]

1. Johnny Carson used to say that after an atomic war only two things

will be left: cockroaches and twinkies.Now we will have to just settle for the roaches.

[mr_hat]

3. And Keith Richards. Don't forget Keith.

[wtmusic]

6. But Keith survives on Twinkies and Jack Daniels

he'll have to take a Twinkie supplement!! :silly:

[Kool Kitty]

18. Hey-don't forget Zippo lighters!

[Red State Rebel]

2. Another victim of Atkins Diet Mania!!!

I've done my best to make up for those healthy slackers, but, alas, it hasn't been enough....

Do your part today - eat twinkies!!!!!

[jmowreader]

15. Are a lot of children on Atkins?

Seeing as how they market primarily to children, that's a valid question.

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. I almost thought it said "Interstate Batteries"

which would make me very happy, since the CEO is a reformed super-fundie ex alcoholic.

Unfortunately, twinkies, a staple of my youth, may be no more!

Eat more twinkies!
FSC

[Heyo]

5. I saw this thing on TV the other day....

...this place was selling *deep fried* twinkies.....

Man... I would totally try one of those...

Soeaking of sweet overly-decadent food, I did try that new drink they have at Krispy Kreme.... it's damn good!

Heyo

[ozymandius]

7. I cannot remember the last time I saw a box of Twinkies.

But I am not surprised at their decline in sales.

[stubertmcfly]

8. they blame this on atkins...

...but couldn't it also be blamed on shitty products? i haven't eaten wonder bread for decades. and twinkies are just gross. perhaps interstate should have tried making something GOOD for a change.

[short bus president]

9. blame it on atkins? WTF?

Lately the twinkies in my local grocery stores have had to do something they've never had to do before - they're sharing shelf space with Bimbos! Whatever Mexican bakery produces Bimbo snack cakes (and the inimitable Sponch! treat) has made serious inroads in the junk food market here. Their products tend to be cheaper than the hostess brand, and just as full of fluffy, non-nutritive goodness, too.

Atkins may have something to do with the withering away of twinkies, but global competition, IMHO, has more to do with it.

[readmylips]

10. Next we'll bankrupt old American....

Apple Pie. I'm part of the Twinkies generation. We didn't eat Twinkies every day. We were allowed to eat sweets only on Saturdays. The rest of the week, we never ate sweets. Yet, we ate potatos, rice, bacon, pasta, vegetables, fruit...all good stuff Atkins is saying don't eat.

[Career Prole]

11. Twinkies went bust? They were probably under sanction

for being a global yellow-cake supplier. :shrug:

[yellowcanine]

12. WWKRD? What will Karl Rove Do? He won't be able to get any more Twinkies

When the shit hits the fan what will he reach for now?

[BiggJawn]

13. Maybe they should try a healthier product line...

And stop crying about "Atkins" killing them.

Nasty-assed "Wonder" bread that has a higher Glycemic Index than powdered sugar, and Fat Bomb "Twinkies...

I don't do Atkins. I'm a Cyclist, I NEED Carbs!

But I don't eat Kleenex bread or plastic "cakes".

They should have patented the batter-dipping/deep-frying process themselves. they'd still be afloat on fried Twinkies....

[BrotherBuzz]

14. WWDWD?

What would Dan White Do?

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdimcapacity.html

<snip>

It all started on November 27, 1978 in San Francisco. Dan White, an ex-policeman who had recently resigned as city supervisor, climbed in the basement window of City Hall to avoid
metal detectors, walked upstairs to the office of mayor George Moscone and demanded his supervisor job back. When Moscone refused, White shot him twice at close range, then stood
over the body and put two more bullets into the mayor's brain to finish him off. Then he reloaded, went down the hall, and killed Harvey Milk, a popular supervisor who was also
America's first openly gay public office holder, shooting him five times.

At trial, White's lawyer argued that he was suffering from "diminished capacity," a controversial defense then permissible in California courts. White supposedly was suffering from
depression and thus incapable of premeditated murder. As evidence of this, psychiatrist Martin Blinder testified that the formerly health-conscious White had recently become a junk food
junkie. Blinder commented that too much sugar can affect the chemical balance in the brain and worsen depression, but didn't blame the crime on bad diet. Rather, he offered junk food
use as proof of White's mental state--in other words, Twinkie consumption was an effect rather than the cause of White's problems. But the media and public immediately--and
misleadingly--dubbed the defense's argument the "Twinkie defense."

Whatever they called it, it worked. The jury found White guilty of a lesser charge, voluntary manslaughter. White was sentenced to six years in prison rather than life as many expected.
The gay community and others were outraged, and rioting broke out in San Francisco. Largely in response to this case, California voters in 1982 overwhelmingly approved a
proposition to abolish the "diminished capacity" defense. Dan White, for his part, served his time in prison, was paroled in 1985 and committed suicide a few months later.

"Diminished capacity" is different from "not guilty by reason of insanity." The insanity verdict, which has been an accepted part of English common law for centuries, is rendered in
cases where the defendant is clearly bereft of his reason, hears voices, etc., and so can't be held responsible for his actions. Typically the defendant is committed to a mental institution
after trial. In contrast, "diminished capacity" results in the defendant being convicted of a lesser offense. A person with diminished capacity is sane and understands the consequences of
his actions, but supposedly doesn't possess the mental state required to premeditate a crime.
<more>

[Elginoid]

16. wonder bread is GROSS!

you can wad it up into a big ball of dough...yuck.

[allalone]

17. it's a good thing twinkies have a shelf life of 1000 years