Bits & Pieces
Bite-sized morsels from the business beat
Wells Phases Out Artificial Colors
Wells Enterprises in Le Mars, Iowa, is among dozens of U.S. ice cream producers that have pledged to eliminate certified artificial colors by the end of 2027.
The International Dairy Foods Association announced a voluntary effort to eliminate use of certified artificial colors Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 from their ice cream and frozen dairy desserts.
These companies make more than 90 percent of the ice cream sold in the United States, the association said.
The IDFA says the commitment applies to products made with real milk sold at retail (including supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, and online retailers) by the nation’s commercial ice cream makers.
Wells, contacted by Biz Whispers, released this statement Wednesday: “As a proud member of IDFA, Wells Enterprises supports this commitment and has already been actively working to phase out artificial colors across our entire portfolio. All Wells products currently meet FDA standards and are safe to enjoy. We’re proud to continue evolving our recipes to reflect what families want from the brands they trust.”
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. applauded the IDFA for “stepping up to eliminate certified artificial colors. The American people have made it clear — they want real food, without chemicals.”
Maverik Heats Up Branding Iron
Maverik is set to begin its rebranding of Kum & Go convenience stores in Iowa.
The Utah-based company bought Kum & Go in 2023, but Kum & Go stores still exist at dozens of Iowa locations.
A schedule of the Iowa store rebranding is posted on Maverik’s website. It says the Kum & Go in Neola was to close today, July 18, and reopen July 22 as a Maverik store. Kum & Go stores in the Des Moines metro area can expect the changeovers to begin in late July, according to the schedule.
Cat Powers Up Data Centers
Remember when Caterpillar was best known for building yellow bulldozers and other big earth-moving machines?
Cat still makes those, of course, but a major expansion of its large engine plant in Lafayette, Ind., will support a growing need for backup and prime power for data centers globally. Cat says the demand for power is driven in part by cloud computing and generative artificial intelligence.
The 1.3 million square-foot factory in Lafayette builds engines with horsepower ranging from 1,000 to 6,000. These engines include generators that can provide the heavy loads of power that artificial intelligence needs, the company said.
The expansion will result in about 100 new jobs.
Caterpillar once was a huge industrial presence in eastern Iowa, with a sprawling plant in Davenport that employed 1,350 workers. The plant was closed in 1988.
KFC Wipes Smile From Colonel’s Face
One of the nation’s more intriguing marketing makeovers is happening at KFC.
KFC is putting Colonel Sanders back to work, front and center, as part of the company’s efforts to regain its strut as a fried-chicken market leader.
Clearly, the colonel is none too happy with the state of affairs at his chain of chicken restaurants. His grin has been replaced with a scowl, to illustrate his displeasure with the company’s performance and his serious support of a commitment to win back customers, Food Dive reports.
KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken and now part of Yum Brands, has struggled with market share.
The company is trying to lure back diners with a Free Bucket On Us digital promotion on its app and website. It offers a free chicken bucket with any order of $15 and more and urges consumers to give their feedback to assist with the comeback plan.
KFC operates restaurants across Iowa.
Food Giant Ponders Spinoff
The packaged-food industry is bubbling with reports that Kraft Heinz is mulling a split.
Kraft Heinz is considering spinning off part of its grocery operation into a business valued as much as $20 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. Meanwhile, the remainder of the company would be more focused on better-performing products such as Heinz ketchup and other sauces and spreads, according to Barron’s.
Heinz operates a ketchup factory in Muscatine, Iowa.
Itty-Bitty Bits
Coe College in Cedar Rapids announced its first online degree, a bachelor of arts in business administration with a strategic leadership concentration. It will be an “affordable route” and “a flexible option for working students looking to improve their career readiness,” Coe said.
Fixer-upper homes can be a bargain in Iowa. The state ranked second only to West Virginia for the lowest median price of fixer-uppers in the nation, realtor.com reports. In Iowa, the typical homes in need of repair sell for less than $110,000, the report says. On the other end of the scale, Hawaii’s median price for fixer-upper homes was $796,500. Aloha!
Argh, meetings! A new Forbes magazine story will shock few if any workers who’ve toiled in the cubicle land of corporate America: The average executive now spends 23 hours a week in meetings — more than double since the 1960s. Also, the report said, Microsoft’s global data shows meeting time has increased 252 percent since 2020.
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Thanks, Rick.