Supposed to hate junk food
I learned a new term today.
“Chapter 22″
It’s when a business files for bankruptcy (chapter 11), twice. This week, Hostess earned the term “chapter 22.”
Upon hearing the news that Hostess is filing for bankruptcy (again), a voice in my head uttered “this is supposed to be a good thing.” A good thing because “Hostess is bad, ‘m-kay.”
I get it. Junk food has the word “junk” before the word “food” for a reason. But there’s something rather sad about the fall of Hostess (again).
Certainly there’s sadness associated with the loss of jobs. Those are real families that are now out of work at a time when being out of work in a food manufacturing gig means re-invention time. Never an easy endeavor.
But more than that, there’s something so supremely American about Hostess. And this coming from someone who’s always had an affinity for Tastykakes.
I understand we are suffering an epidemic of obesity. But these kinds of hyper-preservation-rich/nutrient-free foods have been around since forever. Can we blame a company for providing a food that people want to eat?
Maybe the fall of Hostess is a reckoning. A mark of a turn in our tastes that points toward a desire to eat more healthy foods.
According to the Wall Street Journal story:
“Last year, 36 percent of Americans ate white bread in their homes, down from 54 percent in 2000, according to NPD Group. Meanwhile, about 54 percent ate wheat bread, up from 43 percent in 2000.”
This is a good thing, to be sure.
Hostess has made some efforts to address these trends with lower calorie treats. But they have been feeble, at best.
More to the point, it seems, is the tendency to see traditional business structures like Hostess formed in the early part of the 20th century facing extinction across the board. High costs of doing business, including overhead associated with embedded labor contracts, is no longer viable in today’s fast-moving/global business culture.
In light of the “Chapter 22″ status, it bares noting that Hostess employees are unionized while most of its competitors aren’t.
There’s a perfect storm at work here. Supply at Hostess doesn’t meet the changing demand of the marketplace at the same time that the cost structure for doing business makes it nearly impossible for it to invest in the kind of transformative product offerings the company may need to survive.
One should never celebrate the demise of any business, particularly one as iconic as Hostess. But perhaps there is some reason to celebrate not just the health trends of our tastebuds, but also a trend in more healthy structured businesses. Bloat is never good. It’s not good for the waistline and it’s not good for business.
This is the reality we live in, and if we are to celebrate the demise of Hostess because of the health-trends it points to in society at-large, we also need to acknowledge and celebrate how business has adapted to a global economy to become as lean as the folks who advertise the latest diet craze on TV.
But still there is a sadness. After all, we may be eating healthier and our businesses may be more efficient, but how many granola bars evoke poetry like this:
Twinkie Oh Twinkie (author unknown)
oh Twinkie you are my friend
you are always there until the end
creamy filled goodness thru the night
my sponge cake, loving, happy delight
cellophane wrapper with a sugary smell
you are my heaven, my bliss, in this earthly hell
Twinkie oh Twinkie..in the starry sky
i need your ecstacy.. i need your high
if Twinkie had a voice..it would sing a song
if Twinke had arms..it would hold me all night long
Twinkie is freshly packed and stamped for me
filling me with comfort that he is healthy
i know in my heart Twinkie is da man
with his cowboy boots and hat
that Twinkie the kid is p.h.a.t
all is well in hostess land…
Twinkie plays with Strawberry Shortcake
and Mr. Ding Dong on hand
a menage a trois of delectable delight
i dream of my Twinkie in bed all thru the night
The End
