HJ Heinz Company (FRA:HJH) 3-Year Book Growth Rate : 0.00% (As of Jan. 2013)

HJ Heinz Company was incorporated in Pennsylvania on July 27, 1900. The Company manufactures and markets an extensive line of food products throughout the world. Its main products include ketchup, condiments and sauces, frozen food, soups, beans and pasta meals, infant nutrition and other food products. The Company's products are manufactured and packaged to provide safe, wholesome foods for consumers, as well as foodservice and institutional customers. Many products are prepared from recipes developed in the Company's research laboratories and experimental kitchens. Ingredients are carefully selected, inspected and passed on to modern factory kitchens where they are processed, after which the intermediate product is filled automatically into containers of glass, metal, plastic, paper or fiberboard, which are then sealed. Products are prepared by sterilization, blending, fermentation, pasteurization, homogenization, chilling, freezing, pickling, drying, freeze drying, baking or extruding, then labeled and cased for market. Quality assurance procedures are designed for each product and process and applied for quality and compliance with applicable laws. The Company manufactures and contracts for the manufacture of its products from a wide variety of raw foods. Pre-season contracts are made with farmers for certain raw materials such as a portion of the Company's requirements of tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, onions and some other fruits and vegetables. Ingredients, such as dairy products, meat, sugar and other sweeteners, including high fructose corn syrup, spices, flour and fruits and vegetables, are purchased from approved suppliers. It also owns or leases office space, warehouses, distribution centers and research and other facilities throughout the world. Its recognizable brand is Heinz. The Company has a global portfolio of brands focused in three core categories, Ketchup and Sauces, Meals and Snacks, and Infant/Nutrition. The Company is subject to numerous food safety and other laws and regulations regarding the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of food products.