PART I

Products and Markets

The following is a brief description of some of our brands and product lines:

The Green Giant and Le Sueur brands trace their roots to Le Sueur, Minnesota in 1903, and the Minnesota Valley Canning Company. For more than 100 years, fresh and great‑tasting Green Giant and Le Sueur vegetables have been grown and picked at the peak of perfection in the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant. In the remainder of this report, we generally refer to the Green Giant and Le Sueur brands collectively as the “ Green Giant brand.”

The Ortega brand has been in existence since 1897; its products span the shelf‑stable Mexican food segment including taco shells, tortillas, seasonings, dinner kits, taco sauces, peppers, refried beans, salsas and related food products.

The Maple Grove Farms of Vermont brand, which originated in 1915, is one of the leading brands of pure maple syrup sold in the United States. Other products under the Maple Grove Farms of   Vermont label include a line of gourmet salad dressings, sugar free syrups, marinades, fruit syrups, confections, pancake mixes and organic products.

The Cream of Wheat brand was introduced in 1893 and is among the leading brands and one of the most trusted and widely recognized brands of hot cereals sold in the United States. Cream of Wheat is available in Original, Whole Grain and Maple Brown Sugar stove top, and also in instant packets of Original and other flavors. We also offer Cream of Rice , a gluten‑free, rice‑based hot cereal.

The Mrs. Dash brand, which was introduced in 1983 as the original brand in salt‑free seasonings, is available in more than a dozen blends. In 2005, the leading brand in salt‑free seasonings introduced salt‑free marinades. Mrs. Dash’s brand essence, “Salt‑Free, Flavor‑Full,” resonates with consumers and underscores the brand’s commitment to provide healthy products that fulfill consumers’ expectations for taste.

Back to Nature  has been a pioneer in the better-for-you snack foods category and it is a leading cookie and cracker brand in the category. The Back to Nature brand’s product offerings include Non-GMO Project Verified, organic and gluten free products.

The Bear Creek Country Kitchens brand is the leading brand of hearty dry soups in the United States. Bear Creek Country Kitchens also offers a line of savory pasta dishes and hearty rice dishes.

Victoria Fine Foods is a Brooklyn-based business founded in 1929. The Victoria brand offers a variety of premium pasta and specialty sauces, savory condiments and tasty gourmet spreads. Using traditional cooking methods, Victoria sauces are slow kettle-cooked in small batches to ensure rich flavor and a homemade taste. Committed to its values of quality, honesty, authenticity and community, Victoria believes that Ingredients Come First .

The Las Palmas brand originated in 1922 and primarily includes authentic Mexican enchilada sauce, chili sauce and various pepper products.

The Spice Islands brand, established in San Francisco in 1941, is a leading premium spices and extracts brand offering a diverse line of high quality products including spices, seasonings, dried herbs, extracts, flavorings and sauce blends. The brand recently expanded into organic products.

The Polaner brand was introduced in 1880 and is comprised of a broad array of fruit‑based spreads as well as jarred wet spices such as chopped garlic and oregano. Polaner All Fruit is a leading national brand of fruit‑juice sweetened fruit spread. The spreads are available in more than a dozen flavors. Polaner Sugar Free preserves are the second leading brand of sugar free preserves nationally.

The Mama Mary’s brand was introduced in 1986 and is a leading brand of shelf‑stable pizza crusts. Mama Mary’s also offers pizza sauces and premium gourmet pepperoni slices.

The Weber brand of seasonings and other flavor enhancers was introduced in 2006 under a licensing agreement with Weber-Stephen Products LLC, maker of the popular Weber grills. Under the Weber brand, we offer a wide range of grilling seasoning blends, rubs, marinades, sprays and sauces. 

The Tone’s brand started as a family business in 1873 and was responsible for many of the early advancements in the spice industry. The Tone’s brand sells predominantly in the club channel while also servicing traditional grocery.

The Bloch & Guggenheimer (B&G) brand originated in 1889, and its pickle, pepper and relish products are a leading brand in the New York metropolitan area. This line consists of shelf‑stable pickles, peppers, relishes, olives and other related specialty items.

The Underwood brand’s “ Underwood Devil ” logo, which was registered in 1870, is believed to be the oldest registered trademark still in use for a prepackaged food product in the United States. Underwood meat spreads, which were introduced in the late 1860s, include deviled ham, white‑meat chicken, roast beef, corned beef and liverwurst.

The New York Style brand was created in 1985 and includes Original Bagel Crisps , Pita Chips and Panetini Italian Toast.

The Ac’cent brand was introduced in 1947 as a flavor enhancer for meat preparation and is generally used on beef, poultry, fish and vegetables. We believe that Ac’cent is positioned as a unique flavor enhancer that provides food with the “umami” flavor sensation.

The B&M brand was introduced in 1927 and is the original brand of brick‑oven baked beans and remains one of the very few authentic baked beans. The B&M line includes a variety of baked beans and brown bread. The B&M brand currently has a leading market share in the New England region.

The SnackWell’s brand of reduced fat snacks originated in 1992. SnackWell’s  offerings include a variety of delicious reduced fat products such as its signature Devil’s Food Cookie Cakes and peanut-free treats such as its tasty Vanilla Creme Sandwich Cookies.

The Spring Tree brand originated in 1976 in Brattleboro, Vermont, and consists of pure maple syrup and sugar free syrup.

The Grandma’s brand of molasses, which was introduced in 1890, is the leading brand of premium‑quality molasses sold in the United States. Grandma’s molasses products are offered in two distinct styles: Grandma’s Original Molasses and Grandma’s Robust Molasses.

 The Durkee brand was established in 1850 and, like our Tone’s brand, started as a family business and was an early leader in the spice industry.

The Old London brand was created in 1932 and offers a wide variety of flavors available in melba toasts, melba rounds and other snacks. Old London also markets specialty snacks under the Devonsheer and JJ Flats brand names.

The Trappey’s brand, which was introduced in 1898, has a Louisiana heritage. Trappey’s products fall into two major categories—high quality peppers and hot sauces, including Trappey’s Red Devil .

The McCann’s brand has been in existence since 1800 and offers classic traditional steel cut Irish oatmeal as well as convenience-oriented oatmeal products.

The Don Pepino and Sclafani brands originated in 1955 and 1900, respectively, and primarily include pizza and spaghetti sauces, whole and crushed tomatoes and tomato puree.

The Emeril’s brand was introduced in 2000 under a licensing agreement with celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. We offer a line of pasta sauces, seasonings, cooking stocks, mustards and cooking sprays under the Emeril’s brand name.

The TrueNorth brand was introduced in 2008. TrueNorth nut cluster snacks combine freshly roasted nuts, a dash of sea salt and just a hint of sweetness. TrueNorth varieties include almond pecan crunch, chocolate nut crunch and cashew crunch.

The Static Guard brand, the number one brand name in static elimination sprays, created the anti‑static spray category when it was launched in 1978 to fulfill a previously unmet consumer need. The brand’s ability to consistently deliver on its promise to “instantly eliminate static cling” has resulted in a loyal consumer following.

The Cary’s brand originated in 1904 and is the oldest brand of pure maple syrup in the United States. Cary’s also offers sugar free syrup.

The Joan of Arc brand, which originated in 1895, includes a full range of canned beans including kidney, chili and other varieties.

The Baker’s Joy brand was introduced in 1982 and is the original brand of no‑stick baking spray with flour. Baker’s Joy ’s product proposition has been to “generate a perfect release from the pan every time,” making baking easier, faster and more successful for everyday bakers.

The Regina brand, which has been in existence since 1949, includes vinegars and cooking wines. Regina products are most commonly used in the preparation of salad dressings as well as in a variety of recipe applications, including sauces, marinades and soups.

The Sugar Twin brand was developed in 1968 and is a calorie free sugar substitute.

The Wright’s brand was introduced in 1895 and is a seasoning that reproduces the flavor and aroma of pit smoking in meats, chicken and fish. Wright’s is offered in three flavors: Hickory, Mesquite and Applewood.

The Sa‑són brand was introduced in 1947 as a flavor enhancer used primarily for Puerto Rican and Hispanic food preparation. The product is generally used on beef, poultry, fish and vegetables. The brand’s flavor enhancer is offered in four flavors: Original, Coriander and Achiote, Garlic and Onion, and Tomato. We also offer reduced sodium versions of Sa‑són .

The Brer Rabbit brand has been in existence since 1907 and currently offers mild and full‑flavored molasses as well as blackstrap molasses. Mild molasses is designed for table use and full‑flavored molasses is typically used in baking, barbeque sauces and as a breakfast syrup.

The New York Flatbreads brand is a line of thin, crispy, flavorful crispbread that is available in several toppings.

The Vermont Maid brand has been in existence since 1919 and offers maple‑flavored syrups. Vermont Maid syrup is available in regular, sugar‑free and sugar‑free butter varieties.

The Molly McButter brand created the butter‑flavored sprinkles category in 1987. Molly McButter is available in butter and cheese flavors.

The Canoleo brand offers an all‑purpose margarine used for spreading, cooking and baking.

Food Industry

The food industry is one of the United States’ largest industries. Historically, it has been characterized by relatively stable sales growth, based largely on price and population increases. In recent years, however, many traditional center of store grocery brands in the industry have often experienced flat to modestly declining sales. Over the past decade or so, the retail side of the food industry has seen a continuing shift of sales to alternate food outlets such as supercenters, warehouse clubs, organic and “natural” food stores, dollar stores, drug stores and e-tailers. Among other things, this shift has caused consolidation of traditional grocery chains into larger entities, often spanning the country under varying banner names. Consolidation has increased the importance of having a number one or two brand within a category, be that position national or regional. At the same time, this shift has also introduced many alternatives to traditional grocery chains. A broad sales and distribution infrastructure has also become critical for food companies, allowing them to reach all outlets selling food to consumers and expanding their growth opportunities.

Sales, Marketing and Distribution

Overview. We sell, market and distribute our products through a multiple‑channel sales, marketing and distribution system to all major U.S. food channels, including sales and shipments to supermarkets, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, wholesalers, foodservice distributors and direct accounts, specialty food distributors, military commissaries and non‑food outlets such as drug, dollar store chains and e-tailers. Certain of our brands, including Green Giant ,   Cream of Wheat ,   Back to Nature ,   Ac’cent ,   Crock Pot ® seasoning mixes, Underwood ,   Polaner ,   Static Guard ,   Mrs. Dash ,   New York Style ,   Sugar Twin and Victoria are also distributed to similar food channels in Canada. We sell, market and distribute our household brand, Static Guard , through the same sales, marketing and distribution system to many of the same customers who buy our food products as well as to other household product retailers and distributors.

We sell our products primarily through broker sales networks to supermarket chains, foodservice outlets, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, non‑food outlets and specialty distributors. The broker sales network handles the sale of our products at the retail level.

Sales. Our sales organization is aligned by distribution channels and consists of regional sales managers, key account managers and sales persons. Regional sales managers sell our products nationwide through national and regional brokers, with separate organizations focusing on foodservice, grocery chain accounts and special markets. Our sales managers coordinate our broker sales efforts, make key account calls with buyers or distributors and supervise broker retail coverage of the products at the store level.

Our sales strategy is centered on individual brands. We allocate promotional spending for each of our brands and our regional sales managers coordinate promotions with customers. Additionally, our marketing department works in conjunction with the sales department to coordinate special account activities and marketing support, such as couponing, public relations and media advertising.

We have a national sales force that is capable of supporting our current brands and quickly integrating and supporting any newly acquired brands.

Marketing. Our marketing organization is aligned by brand and is responsible for the strategic planning for each of our brands. We focus on deploying promotional dollars where we believe the spending will have the greatest impact on sales. Marketing and trade spending support, on a national basis, typically consists of advertising trade promotions, coupons and cross‑promotions with supporting products. Radio, internet, social media and limited television advertising supplement this activity.

Distribution. We distribute our products through a multiple‑channel system that covers every class of customer nationwide. Due to the different demands of distribution for frozen and shelf-stable products, we maintain separate distribution systems.

Our shelf-stable distribution network consists of five primary locations, four of which are leased by us and are operated for us by a third party logistics provider, and one that is located at an owned manufacturing facility and is operated by us. In Canada, Mexico and from time to time in the United States we also use public warehouse and distribution facilities for our shelf-stable products.

Our frozen distribution network consists of seven primary locations, which are owned and operated by third party logistics providers.

We believe that our distribution systems for shelf‑stable and frozen products have sufficient capacity to accommodate incremental product volume. See Item 2, “Properties” for a listing of our owned and leased distribution centers and warehouses. During 2018, we were negatively impacted by industry-wide increases in the cost of distribution, primarily driven by freight costs. We expect this to continue in 2019. To date our sales price increases and cost savings initiatives have not been sufficient to fully offset these distribution cost increases. To the extent we are unable to offset present and future cost increases, our operating results will be negatively impacted.

Customers

Our top ten customers accounted for approximately 54.4% of our net sales and 54.8% of our end of the year receivables for fiscal 2018. Other than Walmart, which accounted for 23.1% of our fiscal 2018 net sales, no single customer accounted for 10.0% or more of our fiscal 2018 net sales. Other than Walmart, which accounted for 24.9% of our receivables as of the end of fiscal 2018, no single customer accounted for more than 10.0% of our receivables as of the end of fiscal 2018. During fiscal 2018,  2017 and 2016, our net sales to foreign countries represented approximately 7.3%,  6.3% and 7.1%, respectively, of our total net sales. Our foreign sales are primarily to customers in Canada.

Seasonality

Sales of a number of our products tend to be seasonal and may be influenced by holidays, changes in seasons/weather or certain other annual events. In general, our sales are higher in the first and fourth quarters.

We purchase most of the produce used to make our frozen and shelf‑stable canned vegetables, pickles, relishes, peppers, tomatoes and other related specialty items during the months of June through October, and we generally purchase the majority of our maple syrup requirements during the months of April through August. Consequently, our liquidity needs are greatest during these periods.

Competition

We face competition in each of our product lines. Numerous brands and products compete for shelf space and sales, with competition based primarily on product quality, convenience, price, trade promotion, consumer promotion, brand recognition and loyalty, customer service, advertising and other activities and the ability to identify and satisfy emerging consumer preferences. We compete with numerous companies of varying sizes, including divisions or subsidiaries of larger companies. Many of these competitors have multiple product lines, substantially greater financial and other resources and may have lower fixed costs and/or be substantially less leveraged than we are. Our ability to grow our business could be impacted by the relative effectiveness of, and competitive response to, our product initiatives, product innovation, advertising and promotional activities. In addition, from time to time, we experience margin pressure in certain markets as a result of competitors’ pricing practices.

Our products compete not only against other brands in their respective product categories, but also against products in similar or related product categories. For example, our shelf‑stable pickles compete not only with other brands of shelf‑stable pickles, but also with pickle products found in the refrigerated sections of grocery stores, and all our brands compete against private label products to varying degrees.

Raw Materials

We purchase raw materials, including agricultural products, meat, poultry, flour, other raw materials, ingredients and packaging materials from growers, commodity processors, other food companies and packaging suppliers located in U.S. and foreign locations. The principal raw materials for our products include corn, peas, broccoli, beans, pepper, garlic and other spices, maple syrup, wheat, corn, nuts, cheese, fruits, beans, tomatoes, peppers, meat, sugar, concentrates, molasses and corn sweeteners. Vegetables for the Green Giant brand are primarily purchased under dedicated acreage supply contracts from a number of growers prior to each growing season with the remaining demand being sourced directly from third parties. We purchase certain other agricultural raw materials in bulk or pursuant to short‑term supply contracts. Most of our agricultural products are purchased between April 1 and October 31. We generally source pepper, garlic and other spices and herbs from locations other than the United States. We purchase the majority of our maple syrup from Canada. We also use packaging materials, particularly glass jars, cans, cardboard and plastic containers. The profitability of our business relies in substantial part on the prices we and our co‑packers pay for these raw materials and packaging materials, which can fluctuate due to a number of factors, including changes in crop size, national, state and local government sponsored agricultural programs, export demand, currency exchange rates, natural disasters, weather conditions during the growing and harvesting seasons, water supply, general growing conditions, the effect of insects, plant diseases and fungi, and glass, metal and plastic prices.

Fluctuations in commodity prices can lead to retail price volatility and intensive price competition, and can influence consumer and trade buying patterns.

The cost of labor, manufacturing, energy, fuel, packaging materials and other costs related to the production and distribution of our food products can from time to time increase significantly and unexpectedly. We attempt to manage these risks by entering into short‑term supply contracts and advance commodities purchase agreements, implementing cost saving measures and raising sales prices. During the past three years, our cost saving measures and sales price increases have not been sufficient to fully offset increases to our raw material, ingredient and packaging costs. To the extent we are unable to offset present and future cost increases, our operating results will be negatively impacted.

Production

Manufacturing. We operate ten manufacturing facilities for our products. See Item 2, “Properties” for a listing of our manufacturing facilities.

Co-Packing Arrangements. In addition to our own manufacturing facilities, we source a significant portion of our products under “co‑packing” arrangements, a common industry practice in which manufacturing is outsourced to other companies. We regularly evaluate our co‑packing arrangements to ensure the most cost‑effective manufacturing of our products and to utilize company‑owned manufacturing facilities most effectively. Third parties located in U.S. and foreign locations produce our Back to Nature ,   Baker’s Joy ,   Bear Creek Country Kitchens ,   Canoleo ,   Cream of Rice ,   Crock Pot ,   Green Giant ,   JJ Flats ,   Joan of Arc ,   Le Sueur ,   MacDonald’s ,   McCann’s ,   New York Flatbreads ,   Regina ,   SnackWell’s ,   Spring Tree ,   Static Guard ,   Sugar Twin and TrueNorth products and certain B&G ,   Cary’s ,   Cream of Wheat ,   Emeril’s ,   Las Palmas and Ortega products under co‑packing agreements or purchase orders. Each of our co‑packers produces products for other companies as well. We believe that there are alternative sources of co‑packing production readily available for the majority of our products, although we may experience short‑term disturbances in our operations if we are required to change our co‑packing arrangements unexpectedly.

Trademarks and Licensing Agreements

Trademarks. We consider our trademarks, in the aggregate, to be material to our business. We protect our trademarks by registration in the United States, Canada and in other countries where we sell our products. We also oppose any infringement in key markets. Trademark protection continues in some countries for as long as the mark is used and in other countries for as long as it is registered. Registrations generally are for renewable, fixed terms. Examples of our trademarks and registered trademarks include Ac’cent, Back to Nature, B&G, B&G Sandwich Toppers, B&M, Baker’s Joy, Bear Creek Country Kitchens, Brer Rabbit, Canoleo, Cary’s, Cream of Rice, Cream of Wheat, Devonsheer, Don Pepino, Durkee ,   Emeril’s, Grandma’s, Green Giant, JJ Flats, Joan of Arc, Las Palmas, Le Sueur, MacDonald’s, Mama Mary’s, Maple Grove Farms of Vermont, McCann’s ,   Molly McButter, Mrs. Dash, New York Flatbreads, New York Style, Old London, Ortega, Polaner, Regina, Sa‑són, Sclafani SnackWell’s, Spice Islands , Spring Tree, Static Guard, Sugar Twin, Tone’s ,   Trappey’s, TrueNorth, Underwood, Vermont Maid ,   Victoria ,   Weber  and Wright’s .

Inbound License Agreements. From time to time we enter into inbound licensing agreements. For example, we sell our Emeril’s brand products pursuant to a license agreement with Sequential Brands Group, Cream of Wheat Cinnabon ® , a co‑branded product, pursuant to a licensing agreement with Cinnabon, Inc., Crock Pot seasoning mixes pursuant to a licensing agreement with Sunbeam Products, Inc. dba Jarden Consumer Solutions, Weber seasonings and other flavor enhancers pursuant to a licensing agreement with Weber-Stephen Products LLC. French’s ® seasoning mixes were sold pursuant to a licensing agreement with French’s Food Company LLC, but that licensing agreement was terminated effective June 30, 2018 and we no longer sell any French’s products.

Outbound License Agreements. We also from time to time enter into outbound license agreements for our trademarks and other intellectual property. For example, the Green Giant trademark is licensed to third parties for use in connection with their sale of fresh produce in the United States and Europe. We also license the Green Giant name and related intellectual property to General Mills for use with its sale of frozen and shelf stable products in parts of Europe, Asia and in various other locations outside of the United States and Canada.

Employees and Labor Relations

As of December 29, 2018, our workforce consisted of 2,675 employees. Of that total, 2,322 employees were engaged in manufacturing, 131 were engaged in marketing and sales, 142 were engaged in warehouse and distribution and 80 were engaged in administration. Approximately 61% of our employees, located at five facilities in the United States and one facility in Mexico, are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The agreements covering employees at the five facilities in the United States, which vary in term depending on the location, expire on December 31, 2019 (Brooklyn, NY; United Food and Commercial Workers, Local No. 342),  March 31, 2020 (Roseland, New Jersey; International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen & Helpers of America, Local No. 863),  April 5, 2020 (Ankeny, Iowa; International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local No. 238),  March 27, 2021 (Stoughton, Wisconsin; Drivers, Salesmen, Warehousemen, Milk Processors, Cannery, Dairy Employees and Helpers Union, Local No. 695), and April 30, 2022 (Portland, Maine; Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, AFL‑CIO, Local No. 334). There are two unions representing employees at our facility in Mexico, (1) the Industrial Union of Stevedore Workers, Cargo Transport Operators and Similar from the Mexican Republic and (2) the Union of Agriculture Workers at the Service of the Region. Our collective bargaining agreements with these two unions do not expire, however, certain terms of the agreements must be reviewed periodically. The collective bargaining agreement covering our Brooklyn facility, which covers approximately 80 employees, is the only collective bargaining agreement expiring in the next twelve months. While we believe that our relations with our union employees are in general good, we cannot assure you that we will be able to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement for our Brooklyn facility on terms satisfactory to us, or at all, and without production interruptions, including labor stoppages. At this time, however, management does not expect that the outcome of these negotiations will have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Government Regulation

As a manufacturer and marketer of food and household products, our operations are subject to extensive regulation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the United States Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency and various other federal, state, local and foreign authorities (including government authorities in Canada and Mexico) regarding the manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, labeling, sale and distribution of our products and the health and safety of our employees. Our manufacturing facilities and products are subject to periodic inspection by federal, state, local and foreign authorities. In addition, our meat processing operation in Portland, Maine is subject to daily inspection by the USDA.

We are subject to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder by the FDA. This comprehensive regulatory program governs, among other things, the manufacturing, composition and ingredients, labeling, packaging and safety of food. We are also subject to the U.S. Bio‑Terrorism Act of 2002 which imposes on us import and export regulations. Under the Bio‑Terrorism Act we are required, among other things, to provide specific information about the food products we ship into the United States and to register our manufacturing, warehouse and distribution facilities with the FDA.

We believe that we are currently in substantial compliance with all material governmental laws and regulations and maintain all material permits and licenses relating to our operations. Nevertheless, there can be no assurance that we are in full compliance with all such laws and regulations or that we will be able to comply with any future laws and regulations in a cost‑effective manner. Failure by us to comply with applicable laws and regulations could subject us to civil remedies, including fines, injunctions, recalls or seizures, as well as potential criminal sanctions, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Environmental Matters

Environmental Sustainability. As part of our commitment to being a good corporate citizen, we consider environmental sustainability to be an important strategic focus area. For instance, our manufacturing operations have a variety of initiatives in place to reduce energy usage, conserve water, improve wastewater management, reduce packaging and where possible use recycled and recyclable packaging. We continue to evaluate and modify our manufacturing and other processes on an ongoing basis to mitigate risk and further reduce our impact on the environment, conserve water and reduce waste.

Environmental Laws and Regulations. We are also subject to environmental laws and regulations in the normal course of business. We have not made any material expenditures during the last three fiscal years in order to comply with environmental laws or regulations. Based on our experience to date, we believe that the future cost of compliance with existing environmental laws and regulations (and liability for known environmental conditions) will not have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. However, we cannot predict what environmental laws or regulations will be enacted in the future or how existing or future laws or regulations will be enforced, administered or interpreted, nor can we predict the amount of future expenditures that may be required in order to comply with such environmental laws or regulations or to respond to such environmental claims.

Available Information

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, we are required to file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy and information statements and other information. The SEC maintains an internet site at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. We file electronically with the SEC.

We make available, free of charge, through the investor relations section of our web site, our reports on Forms 10‑K, 10‑Q and 8‑K, and amendments to those reports, filed with or furnished to the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed or furnished to the SEC. The address for the investor relations section of our web site is https://www.bgfoods.com/investor-relations.

The full text of the charters for each of the audit, compensation,  nominating and governance, and risk committees of our board of directors as well as our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available at the investor relations section of our web site, https://www.bgfoods.com/investor-relations/governance/documents. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief accounting officer. We intend to disclose any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer or chief accounting officer in the investor relations section of our web site.

The information contained on our web site is not part of, and is not incorporated in, this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC.

We may be unable to maintain our profitability in the face of a consolidating retail environment.

Our largest customer, Walmart, accounted for 23.1% of our fiscal 2018 net sales, and our ten largest customers together accounted for approximately 54.4% of our fiscal 2018 net sales. As the retail grocery trade continues to consolidate and our retail customers grow larger and become more sophisticated, our retail customers may demand lower pricing and increased promotional programs. Further, these customers are reducing their inventories and increasing their emphasis on products that hold either the number one or number two market position and private label products. If we fail to use our sales and marketing expertise to maintain our category leadership positions to respond to these trends, or if we lower our prices or increase promotional support of our products and are unable to increase the volume of our products sold, our profitability and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We are vulnerable to decreases in the supply and increases in the price of raw materials and labor, manufacturing, distribution and other costs, and we may not be able to offset increasing costs by increasing prices to our customers.

We purchase agricultural products, including vegetables and spices and seasonings, meat, poultry, other raw materials, ingredients and packaging materials from growers, commodity processors, other food companies and packaging manufacturers. Raw materials, ingredients and packaging materials are subject to increases in price attributable to a number of factors, including changes in crop size, federal and state agricultural programs, export demand, currency exchange rates, energy and fuel costs, water supply, weather conditions during the growing and harvesting seasons, insects, plant diseases and fungi, and glass, metal and plastic prices. Fluctuations in commodity prices can lead to retail price volatility and intensive price competition, and can influence consumer and trade buying patterns. The cost of labor, manufacturing, energy, fuel, packaging materials and other costs related to the production and distribution of our products can from time to time increase significantly and unexpectedly. We attempt to manage these risks by entering into short‑term supply contracts and advance commodities purchase agreements from time to time, by implementing cost saving measures and by raising sales prices. During the past three years, our cost saving measures and sales price increases have not been sufficient to fully offset increases to our raw material, ingredient, packaging and distribution costs. To the extent we are unable to offset present and future cost increases, our operating results will be negatively impacted.

We may be unable to offset any reduction in net sales in our mature food product categories through an increase in trade spending for these categories or an increase in net sales in other categories.

Most of our food product categories are mature and certain categories have experienced declining consumption rates from time to time. If consumption rates and sales in our mature food product categories decline, our revenue and operating income may be adversely affected, and we may not be able to offset this decrease in business with increased trade spending or an increase in sales or profitability of other products and product categories.

We may have difficulties integrating acquisitions or identifying new acquisitions.

A major part of our strategy is to grow through acquisition. We completed the  McCann’s  acquisition in July 2018 and the  Back to Nature acquisition in October 2017 and we expect to pursue additional acquisitions of food product lines and businesses. However, we may be unable to identify and consummate additional acquisitions or may be unable to successfully integrate and manage the product lines or businesses that we have recently acquired or may acquire in the future. In addition, we may be unable to achieve a substantial portion of any anticipated cost savings from acquisitions or other anticipated benefits in the timeframe we anticipate, or at all. Moreover, any acquired product lines or businesses may require a greater than anticipated amount of trade, promotional and capital spending. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in the assimilation of the operations, technologies, services and products of the acquired companies, personnel turnover and the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns. Any inability by us to integrate and manage any product lines or businesses that we have recently acquired or may acquire in the future in a timely and efficient manner, any inability to achieve a substantial portion of any anticipated cost savings or other anticipated benefits from these acquisitions in the time frame we anticipate or any unanticipated required increases in trade, promotional or capital spending could adversely affect our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Moreover, future acquisitions by us could result in our incurring substantial additional indebtedness, being exposed to contingent liabilities or incurring the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, all of which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We have substantial indebtedness, which could restrict our ability to pay dividends and impact our financing options and liquidity position.

At December 29, 2018, we had total long‑term indebtedness of $1,650.0 million (before debt discount), including $50.0 million principal amount of senior secured indebtedness and $1,600.0 million principal amount of senior unsecured indebtedness. Our ability to pay dividends is subject to contractual restrictions contained in the instruments governing our indebtedness. Although our credit agreement and the indentures governing our senior notes (which we refer to as the senior notes indentures) contain covenants that restrict our ability to incur debt, as long as we meet these covenants we will be able to incur additional indebtedness. The degree to which we are leveraged on a consolidated basis could have important consequences to the holders of our securities, including:

We are subject to restrictive debt covenants and other requirements related to our debt that limit our business flexibility by imposing operating and financial restrictions on our operations.

The agreements governing our indebtedness impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions prohibit or limit, among other things:

Our credit agreement requires us to maintain specified financial ratios and satisfy financial condition tests, including, without limitation, a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio.

Our ability to comply with the ratios or tests may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. A breach of any of these covenants, or failure to meet or maintain ratios or tests could result in a default under our credit agreement and/or our senior notes indentures. Certain events of default under our credit agreement and our senior notes indentures would prohibit us from paying dividends on our common stock. In addition, upon the occurrence of an event of default under our credit agreement or our senior notes indentures, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under the credit agreement and the senior notes, together with accrued interest, to be immediately due and payable. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the credit agreement lenders could proceed against the security granted to them to secure that indebtedness. If the lenders accelerate the payment of the indebtedness, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full this indebtedness and our other indebtedness.

To service our indebtedness, we require a significant amount of cash. Our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control.

Our ability to make interest payments on and to refinance our indebtedness, and to fund planned capital expenditures and potential acquisitions depends on our ability to generate cash flow from operations in the future. This ability, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control.

A significant portion of our cash flow from operations is dedicated to servicing our debt requirements. In addition, in accordance with our current dividend policy we intend to continue distributing a significant portion of any remaining cash flow to our stockholders as dividends.

Our ability to continue to expand our business is, to a certain extent, dependent upon our ability to borrow funds under our credit agreement and to obtain other third‑party financing, including through the issuance and sale of additional debt or equity securities.

Financial market conditions may impede our access to, or increase the cost of, financing for acquisitions.

Any future financial market disruptions or tightening of the credit markets, may make it more difficult for us to obtain financing for acquisitions or increase the cost of obtaining financing. In addition, our borrowing costs can be affected by short and long‑term debt ratings assigned by independent rating agencies that are based, in significant part, on our performance as measured by credit metrics such as interest coverage and leverage ratios. A decrease in these ratings could increase our cost of borrowing or make it more difficult for us to obtain financing.

Future disruptions in the credit markets or other factors, could impair our ability to refinance our debt upon terms acceptable to us or at all.

Our $700.0 million revolving credit facility matures on November 21, 2022, our $700.0 million of 4.625% senior notes mature on June 1, 2021 and our $900.0 million of 5.25% senior notes mature on April 1, 2025. Our ability to raise debt or equity capital in the public or private markets in order to effect a refinancing of our debt at or prior to maturity could be impaired by various factors, including factors beyond our control. For example, in recent years U.S. credit markets experienced significant dislocations and liquidity disruptions that caused the spreads on prospective debt financings to widen considerably. These circumstances materially impacted liquidity in the debt markets, making financing terms for borrowers less attractive, and in certain cases resulted in the unavailability of certain types of debt financing. Any future uncertainty in the credit markets could negatively impact our ability to access additional debt financing or to refinance existing indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all. In addition, any future uncertainty in other financial markets in the U.S. could make it more difficult or costly for us to raise capital through the issuance of common stock or other equity securities. Any of these risks could impair our ability to fund our operations or limit our ability to expand our business or increase our interest expense, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness at or prior to maturity on commercially reasonable terms or at all, we would be forced to seek other alternatives, including:

If we are forced to pursue any of the above options, our business and/or the value of an investment in our securities could be adversely affected.

We rely on co‑packers for a significant portion of our manufacturing needs, and the inability to enter into additional or future co‑packing agreements may result in our failure to meet customer demand.

We rely upon co‑packers for a significant portion of our manufacturing needs. The success of our business depends, in part, on maintaining a strong sourcing and manufacturing platform. We believe that there are a limited number of competent, high‑quality co‑packers in the industry, and if we were required to obtain additional or alternative co‑packing agreements or arrangements in the future, we can provide no assurance that we would be able to do so on satisfactory terms or in a timely manner. Our inability to enter into satisfactory co‑packing agreements could limit our ability to implement our business plan or meet customer demand.

We rely on the performance of major retailers, wholesalers, specialty distributors and mass merchants for the success of our business, and should they perform poorly or give higher priority to other brands or products, our business could be adversely affected.

We sell our products principally to retail outlets and wholesale distributors including, traditional supermarkets, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, wholesalers, foodservice distributors and direct accounts, specialty food distributors, military commissaries and non‑food outlets such as drug store chains, dollar stores and e-tailers. The replacement by or poor performance of our major wholesalers, retailers or chains or our inability to collect accounts receivable from our customers could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, our customers offer branded and private label products that compete directly with our products for retail shelf space and consumer purchases. Accordingly, there is a risk that our customers may give higher priority to their own products or to the products of our competitors. In the future, our customers may not continue to purchase our products or provide our products with adequate levels of promotional support.  It is also possible that our customers may replace our branded products with private label products.

We may be unable to anticipate changes in consumer preferences and consumer demographics, which may result in decreased demand for our products.

Our success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and offer products that appeal to the changing tastes, dietary habits and product packaging preferences of consumers in the market categories in which we compete. If we are not able to anticipate, identify or develop and market products that respond to these changes in consumer preferences, whether resulting from changing consumer demographics or otherwise, demand for our products may decline and our operating results may be adversely affected. In addition, we may incur significant costs related to developing and marketing new products or expanding our existing product lines in reaction to what we perceive to be increased consumer preference or demand. Such development or marketing may not result in the volume of sales or profitability anticipated.

Severe weather conditions and natural disasters can affect crop supplies and reduce our operating results.

Severe weather conditions and natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, frosts, earthquakes or pestilence, may affect the supply of the raw materials that we use for our products. Our maple syrup products, for instance, are particularly susceptible to severe freezing conditions in Québec, Canada and Vermont during the season in which maple syrup is produced. Our Green Giant frozen vegetable manufacturing facility in Irapuato, Mexico is located in a region affected by water scarcity and restrictions on usage. Competing manufacturers can be affected differently by weather conditions and natural disasters depending on the location of their supplies. If our supplies of raw materials are reduced, we may not be able to find supplemental supply sources on favorable terms or at all, which could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Climate change, water scarcity or legal, regulatory, or market measures to address climate change or water scarcity, could negatively affect our business and operations.

In the event that climate change has a negative effect on agricultural productivity, we may be subject to decreased availability or less favorable pricing for certain commodities that are necessary for our products. We may also be subjected to decreased availability or less favorable pricing for water as a result of such change, which could impact our manufacturing and distribution operations. For example, our Green Giant frozen vegetable manufacturing facility in Irapuato, Mexico is already affected by water scarcity in that region of Mexico. Any further restrictions on, or loss of, water rights due to water scarcity, water rights violations or otherwise for our Irapuato manufacturing facility could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

The increasing concern over climate change also may result in more regional, federal, foreign and/or global legal and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases. In the event that such regulation is enacted and is more aggressive than the sustainability measures that we are currently undertaking to monitor our emissions and improve our energy and resource efficiency, we may experience significant increases in our manufacturing and distribution costs. In particular, increasing regulation of fuel emissions could substantially increase the supply chain and distribution costs associated with our products. As a result, climate change or increased concern over climate change could negatively affect our business and operations.

Most of our products are sourced from single manufacturing sites, which means disruptions in our or our co‑packers’ operations for any number of reasons could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our products are manufactured at many different manufacturing facilities, including our ten manufacturing facilities and manufacturing facilities operated by our co‑packers. However, in most cases, individual products are produced only at a single location. If any of these manufacturing locations experiences a disruption for any reason, including a work stoppage, power failure, fire, or weather related condition or natural disaster, etc., this could result in a significant reduction or elimination of the availability of some of our products. If we were not able to obtain alternate production capability in a timely manner or on satisfactory terms, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Our operations are subject to numerous laws and governmental regulations, exposing us to potential claims and compliance costs that could adversely affect our business.

Our operations are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA, the USDA, the FTC, the SEC, the CPSC, the United States Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency and various other federal, state, local and foreign authorities. We are also subject to U.S. laws affecting operations outside of the United States, including anti‑bribery laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Any changes in these laws and regulations, or any changes in how existing or future laws or regulations will be enforced, administered or interpreted could increase the cost of developing, manufacturing and distributing our products or otherwise increase the cost of conducting our business, or expose us to additional risk of liabilities and claims, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. In addition, failure by us to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including future laws and regulations, could subject us to civil remedies, including fines, injunctions, recalls or seizures, as well as potential criminal sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. See Item 1, “Business—Government Regulation” and “—Environmental Matters.”

Failure by third‑party co‑packers or suppliers of raw materials to comply with food safety, environmental or other regulations may disrupt our supply of certain products and adversely affect our business.

We rely on co‑packers to produce certain of our products and on other suppliers to supply raw materials. Such co‑packers and other suppliers, whether in the United States or outside the United States, are subject to a number of regulations, including food safety and environmental regulations. Failure by any of our co‑packers or other suppliers to comply with regulations, or allegations of compliance failure, may disrupt their operations. Disruption of the operations of a co‑packer or other suppliers could disrupt our supply of product or raw materials, which could have an adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Additionally, actions we may take to mitigate the impact of any such disruption or potential disruption, including increasing inventory in anticipation of a potential production or supply interruption, may adversely affect our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

A recall of our products could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, we may be subject to significant liability should the consumption of any of our products cause injury, illness or death.

The sale of food products for human consumption involves the risk of injury to consumers. Such injuries may result from mislabeling, tampering by unauthorized third parties or product contamination or spoilage, including the presence of foreign objects, undeclared allergens, substances, chemicals, other agents or residues introduced during the growing, manufacturing, storage, handling or transportation phases of production. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to recall products, leading to a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Even if a situation does not necessitate a recall, product liability claims might be asserted against us. We have from time to time been involved in product liability lawsuits, none of which have been material to our business. While we are subject to governmental inspection and regulations and believe our facilities comply in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, if the consumption of any of our products causes, or is alleged to have caused, a health‑related illness in the future we may become subject to claims or lawsuits relating to such matters. Even if a product liability claim is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued, the negative publicity surrounding any assertion that our products caused injury, illness or death could adversely affect our reputation with existing and potential customers and our corporate and brand image. Moreover, claims or liabilities of this sort might not be covered by our insurance or by any rights of indemnity or contribution that we may have against others. We maintain product liability insurance and product contamination insurance in amounts we believe to be adequate. However, we

cannot assure you that we will not incur claims or liabilities for which we are not insured or that exceed the amount of our insurance coverage. A product liability judgment against us or a product recall or the damage to our reputation resulting therefrom could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Pending and future litigation may lead us to incur significant costs.

We are, or may become, party to various lawsuits and claims arising in the normal course of business, which may include lawsuits or claims relating to contracts, intellectual property, product recalls, product liability, the marketing and labeling of products, employment matters, environmental matters or other aspects of our business. Even when not merited, the defense of these lawsuits may divert our management’s attention, and we may incur significant expenses in defending these lawsuits. In addition, we may be required to pay damage awards or settlements or become subject to injunctions or other equitable remedies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. The outcome of litigation is often difficult to predict, and the outcome of pending or future litigation may have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Consumer concern regarding the safety and quality of food products or health concerns could adversely affect sales of certain of our products.

If consumers in our principal markets lose confidence in the safety and quality of our food products even without a product liability claim or a product recall, our business could be adversely affected. Consumers have been increasingly focused on food safety and health and wellness with respect to the food products they buy. We have been and will continue to be impacted by publicity concerning the health implications of food products generally, which could negatively influence consumer perception and acceptance of our products and marketing programs. Developments in any of these areas could cause our results to differ materially from results that have been or may be projected.

A weakening of the U.S. dollar in relation to the Canadian dollar would significantly increase our future costs relating to the production of maple syrup products .

We purchase a significant majority of our maple syrup requirements from suppliers in Québec, Canada. A weakening of the U.S. dollar in relation to the Canadian dollar would significantly increase our future costs relating to the production of our maple syrup products to the extent we have not purchased Canadian dollars or otherwise entered into a currency hedging arrangement in advance of any such weakening of the U.S. dollar. These increased costs may not be fully offset by the positive impact the change in the relative strength of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar would have on our net sales in Canada.

Our operations in foreign countries are subject to political, economic and foreign currency risk.

Our relationships with foreign suppliers and co‑packers as well as our manufacturing location in Irapuato, Mexico also subject us to the risks of doing business outside the United States. The countries from which we source our raw materials and certain of our finished goods may be subject to political and economic instability, and may periodically enact new or revise existing laws, taxes, duties, quotas, tariffs, currency controls or other restrictions to which we are subject, including restrictions on the transfer of funds to and from foreign countries or the nationalization of operations. Our products are subject to import duties and other restrictions, and the U.S. government may periodically impose new or revise existing duties, quotas, tariffs or other restrictions to which we are subject, including restrictions on the transfer of funds to and from foreign countries.

In particular, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or other regulatory and economic impact of changes in taxation and trade relations among the United States and other countries.

In addition, changes in respective wage rates among the countries from which we and our competitors source product could substantially impact our competitive position. Changes in exchange rates, import/export duties or relative international wage rates applicable to us or our competitors could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. These changes may impact us in a different manner than our competitors.

Our financial performance on a U.S. dollar denominated basis is subject to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. These fluctuations could cause material variations in our results of operations. Our principal exposures are to the Canadian dollar and the Mexican peso. For example, our foreign sales are primarily to customers in Canada. Net sales in Canada accounted for 5.7% of our total net sales in 2018.  Although our sales for export to other countries are generally denominated in U.S. dollars, our sales to Canada are generally denominated in Canadian dollars. As a result, our net sales to Canada are subject to the effect of foreign currency fluctuations, and these fluctuations could have an adverse impact on operating results. From time to time, we may enter into agreements that are intended to reduce the effects of our exposure to currency fluctuations, but these agreements may not be effective in significantly reducing our exposure.

Litigation regarding our trademarks and any other proprietary rights and intellectual property infringement claims may have a significant negative impact on our business.

We maintain an extensive trademark portfolio that we consider to be of significant importance to our business. If the actions we take to establish and protect our trademarks and other proprietary rights are not adequate to prevent imitation of our products by others or to prevent others from seeking to block sales of our products as an alleged violation of their trademarks and proprietary rights, it may be necessary for us to initiate or enter into litigation in the future to enforce our trademark rights or to defend ourselves against claimed infringement of the rights of others. Any legal proceedings could result in an adverse determination that could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

We face risks associated with our defined benefit pension plans and multiemployer pension plan obligations.

We maintain four defined benefit pension plans that cover approximately 43% of our employees. A deterioration in the value of plan assets resulting from poor market performance, a general financial downturn or otherwise could cause an increase in the amount of contributions we are required to make to these plans. For example, our defined benefit pension plans may from time to time move from an overfunded to underfunded status driven by decreases in plan asset values that may result from changes in long‑term interest rates and disruptions in U.S. or global financial markets. Additionally, historically low interest rates coupled with poor market performance would have the effect of decreasing the funded status of these plans which would result in greater required contributions. For a more detailed description of these plans, see Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies; Use of Estimates— Pension Expense ” and Note 12, “Pension Benefits,” to our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this report.

We also participate in a multiemployer pension plan maintained by the labor union representing certain of our employees at our Portland, Maine facility. We make periodic contributions to this plan pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. In the event that we withdraw from participation in this plan or substantially reduce our participation in this plan (such as due to a workforce reduction), applicable law could require us to make withdrawal liability payments to the plan, and we would have to reflect that liability on our balance sheet. The amount of our withdrawal liability would depend on the extent of this plan’s funding of vested benefits at the time of our withdrawal. Furthermore, our withdrawal liability could increase as the number of employers participating in this plan decreases.

For a more detailed description of this multiemployer plan, see Note 12, “Pension Benefits,” to our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this report.

An obligation to make additional, unanticipated contributions to our defined benefit plans or the multiemployer plan described above could reduce the cash available for working capital and other corporate uses, and may have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial position, results of operations and liquidity.

Our financial well‑being could be jeopardized by unforeseen changes in our employees’ collective bargaining agreements, shifts in union policy or labor disruptions in the food industry.

As of December 29, 2018, approximately 61% of our 2,675 employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements. A prolonged work stoppage or strike at any of our facilities with union employees or a significant work disruption from other labor disputes in the food or related industries could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Later this year we will begin negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the existing collective bargaining agreement for our Brooklyn manufacturing facility, which covers approximately 80 employees, that is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2019. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement for our Brooklyn facility on terms satisfactory to us, or at all, and without production interruptions, including labor stoppages. If, prior to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement for the Brooklyn facility or prior to the expiration of any of our other existing collective bargaining agreements, we are unable to reach new agreements without union action or any such new agreements are not on terms satisfactory to us, our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity could be materially and adversely affected.

We are increasingly dependent on information technology; Disruptions, failures or security breaches of our information technology infrastructure could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

Information technology is critically important to our business operations. We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic and financial information, to manage a variety of business processes and activities, including manufacturing, financial, logistics, sales, marketing and administrative functions.

We depend on our information technology infrastructure to communicate internally and externally with employees, customers, suppliers and others. We also use information technology networks and systems to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements. These information technology systems, many of which are managed by third parties or used in connection with shared service centers, may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, issues with or errors in systems’ maintenance or security, migration of applications to the cloud, power outages, hardware or software failures, computer viruses, malware, attacks by computer hackers or other cybersecurity risks, telecommunication failures, denial of service, user errors, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events.

Cyberattacks and other cyber incidents are occurring more frequently in the United States, are constantly evolving in nature, are becoming more sophisticated and are being made by groups and individuals (including criminal hackers, hacktivists, state-sponsored institutions, terrorist organizations and individuals or groups participating in organized crime) with a wide range of expertise and motives (including monetization of corporate, payment or other internal or personal data, theft of trade secrets and intellectual property for competitive advantage and leverage for political, social, economic and environmental reasons). Such cyberattacks and cyber incidents can take many forms including cyber extortion, denial of service, social engineering, such as impersonation attempts to fraudulently induce employees or others to disclose information or unwittingly provide access to systems or data, introduction of viruses or malware, such as ransomware through phishing emails, website defacement or theft of passwords and other credentials. We may incur significant costs in protecting against or remediating cyberattacks or other cyber incidents.

If any of our significant information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown, whether due to natural disaster, cyberattacks or otherwise, and our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, or those of our third party providers, do not effectively respond to or resolve the issues in a timely manner, our product sales, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and we could experience delays in reporting our financial results, loss of intellectual property and damage to our reputation or brands.

In addition, if we are unable to prevent physical and electronic break‑ins, cyberattacks and other information security breaches, we may suffer financial and reputational damage, be subject to litigation or incur remediation costs or penalties because of the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our partners, customers, suppliers or employees. The mishandling or inappropriate disclosure of non‑public sensitive or protected information could lead to the loss of intellectual property, negatively impact planned corporate transactions or damage our reputation and brand image. Misuse, leakage or falsification of legally protected information could also result in a violation of data privacy laws and regulations and have a negative impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may experience difficulties fully implementing our new enterprise resource planning system.

We are implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The implementation of the new ERP system has required, and will continue to require, the investment of significant financial and human resources. We may not be able to complete successfully the full implementation of the ERP system without experiencing difficulties. Any disruptions, delays or deficiencies in the design and implementation of the new ERP system could adversely affect our ability to produce products, process orders, ship products, provide services and customer support, send invoices and track payments, fulfill contractual obligations , integrate acquisitions, or otherwise operate our business.  It is also possible that the migration to a new ERP system could adversely affect our internal controls over financial reporting.

If we are unable to retain our key management personnel, our growth and future success may be impaired and our results of operations could suffer as a result.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of senior management, certain of whom would be difficult to replace. As a result, departure by members of our senior management could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, we do not maintain key‑man life insurance on any of our executive officers.

We are a holding company and we rely on dividends, interest and other payments, advances and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.

We are a holding company, with all of our assets held by our direct and indirect subsidiaries, and we rely on dividends and other payments or distributions from our subsidiaries to meet our debt service obligations and to enable us to pay dividends. The ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments or distributions to us depends on their respective operating results and may be restricted by, among other things, the laws of their jurisdiction of organization (which may limit the amount of funds available for the payment of dividends), agreements of those subsidiaries, our credit agreement, our senior notes indentures and the covenants of any future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur.

Future changes that increase cash taxes payable by us could significantly decrease our future cash flow available to make interest and dividend payments with respect to our securities.

We are able to amortize goodwill and certain intangible assets within the meaning of Section 197 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. We expect to be able to amortize for tax purposes approximately $1,048.7 million between 2019 and 2033. The expected annual deductions are approximately $108.0 million for fiscal 2019, approximately $106.4 million for fiscal 2020, approximately $103.8 million for fiscal 2021, approximately $92.2 million for fiscal 2022, approximately $90.3 million per year for fiscal 2023 through fiscal 2024, approximately $90.0 million for fiscal 2025, approximately $86.1 million for fiscal 2026,  approximately $66.2 million for fiscal 2027, approximately $63.7 million for fiscal 2028, approximately $63.1 million for fiscal 2029, approximately $57.0 million for fiscal 2030, approximately $24.3 million for fiscal 2031, approximately $6.1 million for fiscal 2032 and approximately $1.2 million for fiscal 2033. If there is a change in U.S. federal tax policy that reduces any of these available deductions, eliminates, limits or reduces the interest deduction we receive on our substantial indebtedness, or otherwise results in an increase in our corporate tax rate, our cash taxes payable would increase, which could significantly reduce our future cash and impact our ability to make interest and dividend payments.  Likewise, the ultimate impact of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law on December 22, 2017 on our reported results in fiscal 2019 and beyond may differ from the estimates provided in this report, possibly materially, due to, among other things, changes in interpretations and assumptions we have made, guidance that may be issued, and other actions we may take as a result of the new tax law different from that currently contemplated.  See Note 10, “Income Taxes,” to our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this report for information about the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

A change in the assumptions used to value our goodwill or our unamortizable intangible assets could negatively affect our consolidated results of operations and net worth.

Our total assets include substantial goodwill and unamortizable intangible assets (trademarks). These assets are tested for impairment at least annually and whenever events or circumstances occur indicating that goodwill or unamortizable intangibles might be impaired. The annual goodwill impairment test involves a two‑step process. The first step of the impairment test involves comparing our company’s market capitalization with our company’s carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying value of our company exceeds our market capitalization, we perform the second step of the impairment test to determine the amount of the impairment loss. The second step of the goodwill impairment test

involves comparing the implied fair value of goodwill with the carrying value and recognizing a loss for the difference. We test our unamortizable intangibles by comparing the fair value with the carrying value and recognize a loss for the difference. We estimate the fair value of our unamortizable intangibles based on discounted cash flows that reflect certain third party market value indicators. Estimating our fair value for these purposes requires significant estimates and assumptions by management. We completed our annual impairment tests for fiscal 2018,  2017 and 2016 with no adjustments to the carrying values of goodwill and unamortizable intangibles. However, an interim impairment analysis relating to one of our brands performed during fiscal 2014 resulted in our company recording non‑cash impairment charges to amortizable trademarks and customer relationship intangibles for the brand of $26.9 million and $7.3 million, respectively, during fiscal 2014.  During the second quarter of 2016, we discontinued that brand because there was not sufficient demand to warrant continued production.  Accordingly, we wrote off the related intangible assets and recorded non-cash impairment charges to amortizable trademarks and customer relationship intangibles of $4.5 million and $0.9 million, respectively, which are recorded in “Impairment of intangible assets” on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations for fiscal 2016. If operating results for any of our other brands, including newly acquired brands, deteriorate, at rates in excess of our current projections, we may be required to record additional non‑cash impairment charges to certain intangible assets. In addition, any significant decline in our market capitalization, even if due to macroeconomic factors, could put pressure on the carrying value of our goodwill. A determination that all or a portion of our goodwill or unamortizable intangible assets are impaired, although a non‑cash charge to operations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Any future financial market disruptions or tightening of the credit markets could expose us to additional credit risks from customers and supply risks from suppliers and co‑packers.

Any future financial market disruptions or tightening of the credit markets could result in some of our customers experiencing a significant decline in profits and/or reduced liquidity. A significant adverse change in the financial and/or credit position of a customer could require us to assume greater credit risk relating to that customer and could limit our ability to collect receivables. A significant adverse change in the financial and/or credit position of a supplier or co‑packer could result in an interruption of supply. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Risks Relating to our Securities

Holders of our common stock may not receive the level of dividends provided for in our dividend policy or any dividends at all.

Dividend payments are not mandatory or guaranteed and holders of our common stock do not have any legal right to receive, or require us to pay, dividends. Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, decrease the level of dividends provided for in our dividend policy or entirely discontinue the payment of dividends. Future dividends with respect to shares of our capital stock, if any, depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions (including restrictions in our credit agreement and senior notes indentures), business opportunities, provisions of applicable law (including certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law) and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

If our cash flows from operating activities were to fall below our minimum expectations (or if our assumptions as to capital expenditures or interest expense were too low or our assumptions as to the sufficiency of our revolving credit facility to finance our working capital needs were to prove incorrect), we may need either to reduce or eliminate dividends or, to the extent permitted under our credit agreement and senior notes indentures, fund a portion of our dividends with borrowings or from other sources. If we were to use working capital or permanent borrowings to fund dividends, we would have less cash and/or borrowing capacity available for future dividends and other purposes, which could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and ability to maintain or expand our business.

Our dividend policy may negatively impact our ability to finance capital expenditures, operations or acquisition opportunities.

Under our dividend policy, a substantial portion of our cash generated by our business in excess of operating needs, interest and principal payments on indebtedness, and capital expenditures sufficient to maintain our properties and assets is in general distributed as regular quarterly cash dividends to the holders of our common stock. As a result, we may not retain a sufficient amount of cash to finance growth opportunities or unanticipated capital expenditure needs or to fund our operations in the event of a significant business downturn. We may have to forego growth opportunities or capital expenditures that would otherwise be necessary or desirable if we do not find alternative sources of financing. If we do not have sufficient cash for these purposes, our financial condition and our business will suffer.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue without stockholder approval preferred stock that may be senior to our common stock in certain respects.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of preferred stock without stockholder approval and, in the case of preferred stock, upon such terms as the board of directors may determine. The rights of the holders of shares of our common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of any class or series of preferred stock that may be issued in the future, including any preferential rights that we may grant to the holders of preferred stock. The terms of any preferred stock we issue may place restrictions on the payment of dividends to the holders of our common stock. If we issue preferred stock that is senior to our common stock in right of dividend payment, and our cash flows from operating activities or surplus are insufficient to support dividend payments to the holders of preferred stock, on the one hand, and to the holders of common stock, on the other hand, we may be forced to reduce or eliminate dividends to the holders of our common stock.

Future sales or the possibility of future sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock may depress the price of our common stock.

We may issue shares of our common stock or other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock from time to time in future financings or as consideration for future acquisitions and investments. In the event any such future financing, acquisition or investment is significant, the number of shares of our common stock or other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock that we may issue may in turn be significant. In addition, we may grant registration rights covering shares of our common stock or other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, as applicable, issued in connection with any such future financing, acquisitions and investments.

Future sales or the availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, whether issued and sold pursuant to our currently effective shelf registration statement or otherwise, would dilute our earnings per share and the voting power of each share of common stock outstanding prior to such sale or distribution, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our securities and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of our securities.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and several other factors could limit another party’s ability to acquire us and deprive our investors of the opportunity to obtain a takeover premium for their securities.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain certain provisions that may make it difficult for another company to acquire us and for holders of our securities to receive any related takeover premium for their securities. For example, our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of preferred stock without stockholder approval and upon such terms as the board of directors may determine. The rights of the holders of shares of our common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of any class or series of preferred stock that may be issued in the future.