Popular Snack Food Maker With Facilities in Michigan Declares Bankruptcy

You may not be familiar with Hearthside Food Solutions, but you've certainly eaten their snacks. The snack food manufacturer with plants in three Michigan cities has declared bankruptcy.

H-Food Holdings LLC, the parent company of Hearthside Food Solutions, filed for Chapter 11 protection on Friday (11/22).

What is Hearthside Food Solutions?

Hearthside Food Solutions is a contract manufacturer that produces popular snack foods for companies such as Kraft, Kellogg's, General Mills, PepsiCo, and others.

The company typically makes snack products like granola bars, crackers, chips, cookies, pretzels, popcorn, snack mixes, and other munchables. If you've ever eaten Lucky Charms, Cheetos, or a granola bar, chances are it came from a Heartside plant.

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The company's headquarters are in Downers Grove, Illinois, and it employs roughly 12,000 people in more than 20 facilities, including plants in Grand Rapids and Kentwood, Michigan.

Hearthside Food Solutions' Parent Company Declares Bankruptcy

According to Food Business News, Hearthside's parent company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which will allow the company to eliminate more than $1.9 billion in debt and secure about $200 million in capital as it looks to emerge from bankruptcy in the first quarter of next year.

the company says it plans to continue operations and honor its obligations while it continues to pay employees' wages and benefits.

Hearthside Foods' Tumultuous Past

The bankruptcy announcement follows a New York Times investigation from last year that accused the company's Grand Rapids plant of employing underage workers and exposing them to dangerous working conditions.

While the company stopped short of denying the allegations, the company defended its workplace practices and agreed to a review of its employment protocols.