@Risk

Kraft has revised its offer for Cadbury, and the new bid is expected to win the approval of Cadbury’s board, perhaps as early as today, reports The Independent. (See update below.)

If approved, this new deal would end the sometimes bitter bid battle that has persisted for nearly six months. However, trade unions fear that an agreement with Kraft equates with job losses. They say that 7,000 jobs at Cadbury –and as many as 20,000 in the supply chain –are at risk. (more…)

September is proving to be a noteworthy month for Kraft Foods.

First, the company was re-named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index –making this Kraft’s fifth consecutive year on the North America Index and fourth consecutive year on the World Index. Interestingly, Kraft is the only U.S.-based food company to be included in the World Index. (A great article about the company’s sustainability platform is available at Phil Lempert’s blog, Supermarket Guru.)

Then, there was news of Kraft’s surprise overture to buy Cadbury, although no deal has been reached yet.

Now, we’re learning that the company plans to cut its supplier base in half –yes, you read that correctly, in half. It’s estimated that the move will affect over 30,000 companies and save Kraft more than $300 million a year.

(more…)