PLEASANTON, Calif – House brands seem to be all the rage these days. They go in and out of favor at grocers; these days national brands seem to be the brands that are on the outs. Apparently, part of the acquisition value of Whole Foods for Amazon was their experience withMORE HERE

Perhaps this sounds a bit churlish to see cultural downfall in a child’s lunch. And to churlish, you might generously say inconsistent, as the vile concoction of items in a current Lunchables was something that was purchased by me in a fit of hurry and laziness. After I had purchasedMORE HERE

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN – The Ritz cloth brand was originally founded in 1892 by the John Ritzenthaler Company. This lower Manhattan (aren’t so many great brands founded there?), was started by John Ritzenthaler, a German immigrant, who gave the products the name Ritz Cloths. Cheese cloth is one of those productsMORE HERE

MONTVALE, N.J. – A&P, one of the greatest brand names in the history of the United States, is up for auction, along with all the assets of the annoyingly mismanaged and bankrupt Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. Joan Verdon of The Bergen Record reports on the upcoming sale, whereMORE HERE

DENVER – One of the great cracker brands, still independent, is Bremner. They are classic cocktail party crackers, and none better. Of course, Mr. Bremner said that himself in 1890. “We acknowledge no superior in the quality of our goods and fear no competitors on that score.” – D.F. BremnerMORE HERE

OMAHA – ConAgra has consolidated itself into a purveyor of dozens of some of the best-known brands in the United States, including Hunt’s, Swiss Miss, Peter Pan, Blue Bonnet, La Choy, Mueller’s, Jiffy Pop and Banquet. However, if you look at its stock price over the last 20 years, itMORE HERE

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – It has been nearly a generation since Morton Frozen Foods products graced the shelves of grocery store freezers.  The venerable brand was phased out in the late 1990s by its current owner ConAgra after a storied 60-plus year history. This was done reportedly as part of aMORE HERE

NEWPORT BEACH – Ellia Kassoff, the man behind number of successful brand revivals, is bringing back Hydrox Cookies. The cookies began production again this week. Hydrox was often perceived as the “other” brand of stuffed cookie, Nabisco’s Oreo being more famous most of the 20th century. Hydrox was made byMORE HERE