Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our business is subject to various risks and uncertainties. In addition to the risks described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, any of the risks and uncertainties described below could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations and should be considered when evaluating Kraft Heinz. Although the risks are organized and described separately, many of the risks are interrelated. Some of the factors, events, and contingencies discussed below may have occurred in the past, and the disclosures below are not representations as to whether or not the factors, events or contingencies have occurred in the past, but are provided because future occurrences of such factors, events, or contingencies could have a material adverse effect. While we believe we have identified and discussed the material risks affecting our business below, there may be additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known or that are not currently believed to be material that may adversely affect our business, performance, or financial condition in the future.
Industry Risks
We operate in a highly competitive industry.
The food and beverage industry is highly competitive across all of our product offerings. Our principal competitors in these categories are manufacturers and retailers with their own branded and private label products. We compete based on product innovation, price, product quality, nutritional value, service, taste, convenience, brand recognition and loyalty, effectiveness of marketing and distribution, promotional activity, and the ability to identify and satisfy changing consumer preferences.
We may need to reduce our prices, or be restricted or delayed in our ability to increase prices, in response to competitive, customer, consumer, regulatory, or macroeconomic pressures, including pressures related to private label products that are generally sold at lower prices. These pressures have restricted, and may in the future continue to restrict, our ability to increase prices and maintain those price increases in response to commodity and other cost increases, including those related to inflationary pressures. Additionally, the pricing actions we take have, in some instances, negatively impacted, and could continue to negatively impact, our market share and require us to reduce, or further reduce, the prices of certain of our products. Furthermore, our competitors may attempt to gain market share by offering products at prices at or below those typically offered by our company, which may require us to increase spending on advertising and promotions and/or reduce prices. Failure to effectively assess, timely change, and properly set pricing, promotions, or trade incentives may negatively impact our ability to achieve our objectives.
In addition, in order to remain competitive, we rely on our ability to secure new retailers and maintain or add shelf space for our products. If we are unable to secure sufficient and attractive shelf space, adequate product visibility, and attractive pricing for our products with retailers, our products may be disadvantaged against our competitors. Even if we obtain preferred product visibility and shelf space, our new and existing products may fail to achieve the sales expectations set by retailers, which may cause these retailers to remove our products from their shelves.
Our products are sold in highly competitive marketplaces, including e-commerce retailers, large-format retailers, and discounters. Competition amongst retailers may create consumer price deflation, affecting our retail customer relationships and presenting additional challenges to increasing prices in response to commodity or other cost increases. We may also need to increase or reallocate spending on marketing, retail trade incentives, advertising, and new product, platform, or channel innovation to maintain or increase market share. These expenditures are subject to risks, including uncertainties about trade and consumer acceptance of our efforts. If we are unable to compete effectively, our profitability, financial condition, and operating results may decline.
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Our success depends on our ability to correctly predict, identify, and interpret changes in consumer preferences and demand, to offer new products to meet those changes, and to respond to competitive innovation.
Consumer preferences for food and beverage products change continually and rapidly. Our success depends on our ability to predict, identify, and interpret the tastes and dietary habits of consumers. We must continue to offer products that appeal to consumers, including with respect to their health and wellness preferences and changing consumption patterns, such as those potentially associated with weight-loss drugs. If we do not offer products that appeal to consumers, our sales and market share will decrease, which could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results. Further, changing consumer preferences relating to the healthiness or desirability of ingredients, components, or substances present or allegedly present in our products or packaging could negatively impact our product sales, financial condition, and operating results if we are unsuccessful in our efforts to satisfy consumer preferences.
Moreover, weak economic conditions, recessions, inflation, severe or unusual weather events, pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, public boycotts, as well as other factors, could affect consumer preferences and demand, at times, causing a strain on our supply chain due, in part, to retailers, distributors, or carriers modifying their restocking, fulfillment, or shipping practices. Failure to adequately respond to these changes could adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
We must distinguish between short-term trends and long-term changes in consumer preferences. If we do not accurately predict which shifts in consumer preferences will be long-term, or if we fail to introduce new and improved products to satisfy those preferences, our sales could decline. In addition, because of our varied consumer base, we must offer an array of products that satisfies a broad spectrum of consumer preferences. If we fail to expand our product offerings successfully across product categories or platforms, or if we do not rapidly develop products in faster-growing or more profitable categories, demand for our products could decrease, which could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Prolonged negative perceptions concerning the health, environmental, or social implications of certain food and beverage products, ingredients, or packaging materials could influence consumer preferences and acceptance of our products and marketing programs. Our ability to refine the ingredient and nutrition profiles of and packaging for our products as well as to maintain focus on ethical sourcing and supply chain management opportunities to address evolving consumer preferences are important to our growth. We strive to respond to consumer preferences and social expectations, but we may not be successful in our efforts. Continued negative perceptions and failure to satisfy consumer preferences could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
In addition, our growth depends on our successful development, introduction, and marketing of innovative new products and line extensions. There are inherent risks associated with new product or packaging introductions, including uncertainties about trade and consumer acceptance or potential impacts on our existing product offerings. We may be required to increase expenditures for new product development. Successful innovation depends on our ability to correctly anticipate customer and consumer acceptance, to obtain, protect, and maintain necessary intellectual property rights, and to avoid infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others. We must also be able to respond successfully to technological advances by our competitors (including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented reality, which may become critical in interpreting consumer preferences in the future), and failure to do so could compromise our competitive position and impact our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Changes in the retail landscape or the loss of key retail customers could adversely affect our financial performance.
The retail landscape has experienced, and may continue to experience, the consolidation of ownership of retailers and the presence of buying groups resulting in increased purchasing power. Retail customers, such as supermarkets, warehouse clubs, and food distributors in our major markets, may continue to consolidate, resulting in fewer but larger customers for our business across various channels. These larger customers may seek to leverage their positions to improve their profitability by demanding improved efficiency, lower pricing, more favorable terms, increased promotional programs, or specifically tailored product offerings. In addition, larger retailers have scale to develop supply chains that permit them to operate with reduced inventories or to develop and market their own private label products. Retail consolidation and increasing retailer power could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Retail consolidation also increases the risk that adverse changes in our customers’ business operations or financial performance may have a corresponding adverse effect on us, which could be material. For example, if our customers cannot access sufficient funds or financing, then they may delay, decrease, or cancel purchases of our products, or delay or fail to pay us for previous purchases, which could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
In addition, technology-based systems, which give consumers the ability to shop through e-commerce websites and mobile commerce applications, are also significantly altering the retail landscape in many of our markets. If we are unable to adjust to
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developments in these changing landscapes, we may be disadvantaged in key channels and with certain consumers, which could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Changes in our relationships with significant customers or suppliers, or in other business relationships, could adversely impact us.
We derive significant portions of our sales from certain significant customers (see Sales and Customers within Item 1, Business). Some or all of our significant customers may not continue to purchase our products in the same mix or quantities or on the same terms as in the past, particularly as increasingly powerful retailers may demand lower pricing and focus on developing their own brands. The loss of a significant customer or a material reduction in sales or a change in the mix of products we sell to a significant customer could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Disputes with significant suppliers, including disputes related to pricing or performance, could adversely affect our ability to supply products to our customers and could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results. In addition, terminations of relationships with other significant contractual counterparties, including licensors, could adversely affect our portfolio, product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
In addition, the financial condition of such customers, suppliers, and other significant contractual counterparties are affected in large part by conditions and events that are beyond our control. Significant deterioration in the financial conditions of significant customers or suppliers, or in other business relationships, could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Maintaining, extending, and expanding our reputation and brand image are essential to our business success.
We have many iconic brands with long-standing consumer recognition across the globe. Our success depends on our ability to maintain brand image for our existing products, extend our brands to new platforms, and expand our brand image with new product offerings.
We seek to maintain, extend, and expand our brand image through marketing investments, including advertising and consumer promotions, and product innovation. Negative perceptions of food and beverage marketing could adversely affect our brand image or lead to stricter regulations and scrutiny of our marketing practices. Moreover, adverse publicity about legal or regulatory action against us, our quality and safety, our environmental or social impacts, our other environmental, social, human capital, or governance practices or positions, our products becoming unavailable to consumers, or our suppliers (including as a result of human rights issues) and, in some cases, our competitors, could damage our reputation and brand image, undermine our customers’ or consumers’ confidence, and reduce demand for our products, even if the regulatory or legal action is unfounded or not material to our operations. Furthermore, existing or increased legal or regulatory restrictions on our advertising, consumer promotions, and marketing, or our response to those restrictions, could limit our efforts to maintain, extend, and expand our brands.
In addition, our success in maintaining, extending, and expanding our brand image depends on our ability to adapt to a rapidly changing media environment. We increasingly rely on social media and online dissemination of advertising campaigns. The growing use of social and digital media increases the speed and extent that information, including misinformation, and opinions can be shared. Negative posts or comments about us, our brands or our products, or our suppliers and, in some cases, our competitors, on social or digital media, whether or not valid, could seriously damage our brands and reputation. In addition, we might fail to appropriately target our marketing efforts, anticipate consumer preferences, or invest sufficiently in maintaining, extending, and expanding our brand image. Placement of our advertisements in social and digital media may also result in damage to our brands if the media itself experiences negative publicity. If we do not maintain, extend, and expand our reputation or brand image, then our product sales, financial condition, and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.
We must leverage our brand value to compete against private label products.
In nearly all of our product categories, we compete with branded products as well as private label products, which are typically sold at lower prices. Our products must provide higher value or quality to consumers than alternatives, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty or weakness or inflation. Consumers may not buy our products if relative differences in value or quality between our products and private label products change in favor of competitors’ products or if consumers perceive such a change. If consumers prefer private label products, then we could lose market share or sales volume, or our product mix could shift to lower margin offerings. A change in consumer preferences could also cause us to increase capital, marketing, and other expenditures, which could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
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We may be unable to drive revenue growth in our key product categories or platforms, increase our market share, or add products that are in faster-growing and more profitable categories.
Our future results will depend on our ability to drive revenue growth in our key product categories or platforms as well as growth in the food and beverage industry in the geographies in which we operate. Our future results will also depend on our ability to enhance our portfolio by adding innovative new products in faster-growing and more profitable categories or platforms and our ability to increase market share in our existing product categories or platforms. Our failure to drive revenue growth, limit market share decreases in our key product categories or platforms, or develop innovative products for new and existing categories or platforms could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Product recalls or other product liability claims could materially and adversely affect us.
Selling products for human consumption involves inherent legal and other risks, including product contamination, spoilage, product tampering, allergens, or other adulteration. We have decided and could in the future decide to, and have been or could in the future be required to, recall products due to suspected or confirmed product contamination, adulteration, product mislabeling or misbranding, tampering, undeclared allergens, or other deficiencies. Product recalls or market withdrawals could result in significant losses due to their costs, the destruction of product inventory, and lost sales due to the unavailability of the product for a period of time.
We could also be adversely affected if consumers lose confidence in the safety and quality of our food products or ingredients, or the food safety system generally. Adverse attention about these types of concerns, whether or not valid, may damage our reputation, discourage consumers from buying our products, or cause production and delivery disruptions that could negatively impact our net sales and financial condition.
We may also suffer losses if our products or operations violate applicable laws or regulations or if our products cause injury, illness, or death. In addition, our marketing could face claims of false or deceptive advertising or other criticism. A significant product liability or other legal judgment or a related regulatory enforcement action against us, or a significant product recall, may materially and adversely affect our reputation and profitability. Moreover, even if a product liability or fraud claim is unsuccessful, has no merit, or is not pursued to conclusion, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against our products or processes could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Climate change and legal or regulatory responses may have a long-term adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
Global average temperatures are gradually increasing due to increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which is projected to contribute to significant changes in weather patterns around the globe, an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters, and changes in agricultural productivity. Increasing concern over climate change may adversely impact demand for our products, or increase our operating costs, due to changes in consumer preferences that cause consumers to switch away from products or ingredients considered to have a high climate change impact.
Increased natural disasters and decreased agricultural productivity in certain regions of the world as a result of changing weather patterns may limit the availability or increase the cost of natural resources and commodities, including dairy products, meat products, tomato products, sugar and other sweeteners, soybean and vegetable oils, coffee beans, wheat and processed grains, eggs, and other fruits and vegetables to manufacture our products, and could further decrease food security for communities around the world. Climate change, and its environmental impacts, could also affect our ability, and our suppliers’ ability, to procure necessary commodities at costs and in quantities we currently experience and may require us to increase costs or make additional unplanned capital expenditures. Further, an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters could result in disruptions for us, our customers, suppliers, vendors, co-manufacturers, and distributors and impact our employees’ abilities to commute or work from home effectively. These disruptions could make it more difficult and costly for us to deliver our products, obtain raw materials or other supplies through our supply chain, maintain or resume operations, or perform other critical corporate functions, could reduce customer demand for our products, and could increase the cost of insurance.
Additionally, there is an increased focus by foreign, federal, state, and local regulatory and legislative bodies regarding environmental policies relating to climate change, regulating greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon pricing or a carbon tax), energy policies, disclosure obligations, and sustainability. Increased energy or compliance costs and expenses due to the impacts of climate change, as well as additional legal or regulatory requirements regarding climate change designed to reduce or mitigate the effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions on the environment could be costly and may cause disruptions in, or an increase in the costs associated with, the running of our manufacturing and processing facilities and our business, as well as increase distribution and supply chain costs. Moreover, compliance with any such legal or regulatory requirements may require us to make significant changes to our business operations and long-term operating plans, which will likely incur substantial time, attention, and costs. Even if we make changes to align ourselves with such legal or regulatory
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requirements, we may still be subject to significant penalties if such laws and regulations are interpreted and applied in a manner inconsistent with our practices. The effects of climate change and legal or regulatory initiatives to address climate change could have a long-term adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
Finally, we might fail to effectively address increased attention from the media, stockholders, activists, and other stakeholders on climate change and related environmental sustainability matters. Such failure, or the perception that we have failed to act responsibly with respect to such matters or to effectively respond to new or additional regulatory requirements regarding climate change, whether or not valid, could result in adverse publicity and negatively affect our business and reputation. Concurrently, there also exists “anti-ESG” sentiments among certain stakeholders, and we may face negative publicity, lawsuits, and other adverse impacts to our business from these stakeholders in response to our sustainability initiatives. From time to time we establish and publicly announce environmental, social, and governance goals, commitments, and aspirations, including to reduce our impact on the environment. Our ability to achieve any stated goal, target, or objective is subject to numerous factors and conditions, many of which are outside of our control. Examples of such factors include evolving regulatory requirements affecting sustainability standards or disclosures or imposing different requirements, the pace of changes in technology, the availability of requisite financing, and the availability of suppliers that can meet our sustainability and other standards. Furthermore, standards for tracking and reporting such matters continue to evolve. Our selection of voluntary disclosure frameworks and standards, and the interpretation or application of those frameworks and standards, may change from time to time or differ from those of others. Methodologies for reporting this data may be updated and previously reported data may be adjusted to reflect improvement in availability and quality of third-party data, changing assumptions, changes in the nature and scope of our operations, and other changes in circumstances. Our processes and controls for reporting sustainability and other matters across our operations and supply chain are evolving along with multiple disparate standards for identifying, measuring, and reporting sustainability metrics, including sustainability-related disclosures that may be required by the SEC, European Union, and other foreign, federal, state, and local regulatory and legislative bodies(including, but not limited to, the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the state of California’s new climate change disclosure requirements), and such standards may change over time, which could result in significant revisions to our current goals, reported progress in achieving such goals, or ability to achieve such goals in the future. If we fail to achieve, or are perceived to have failed or been delayed in achieving, or improperly report on our progress toward achieving these goals and commitments, it could negatively affect consumer preference for our products or investor confidence in our stock, as well as expose us to government enforcement actions and private litigation.
Business Risks
We may not successfully identify, complete, or realize the benefits from strategic acquisitions, divestitures, alliances, joint ventures, or investments.
From time to time, we have evaluated and may continue to evaluate acquisition candidates, alliances, joint ventures, or investments that may strategically fit our business objectives, and, as a result of some of these evaluations, we have acquired businesses or assets that we deem to be a strategic fit. We have also divested and may consider divesting businesses that do not meet our strategic objectives or growth or profitability targets. These activities may present financial, managerial, and operational risks including, but not limited to, diversion of management’s attention from existing core businesses; difficulties in integrating, or inability to successfully integrate, acquired businesses, including integrating or separating personnel and financial and other systems; inability to effectively and immediately implement control environment processes across a diverse employee population; adverse effects on existing or acquired customer and supplier business relationships; and potential disputes with buyers, sellers, or partners. Activities in such areas are regulated by numerous antitrust and competition laws in the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. We have in the past and may in the future be required to obtain approval of these transactions by competition authorities or to satisfy other legal requirements, and we may be unable to obtain such approvals or satisfy such requirements, each of which may result in additional costs, time delays, or our inability to complete such transactions, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
To the extent we undertake acquisitions, alliances, joint ventures, investments, or other developments in new geographies or categories, we may face additional risks related to such developments. For example, risks related to foreign operations are discussed below under the risk factor titled “Our international operations subject us to additional risks and costs and may cause our profitability to decline.”
To the extent we undertake divestitures, we may face additional risks related to such activities. For example, risks related to our ability to find appropriate buyers, obtain applicable regulatory and governmental approvals, execute transactions on favorable terms, separate divested business operations with minimal impact to our remaining operations, and effectively manage any transitional service arrangements. Further, our divestiture activities have in the past required, and may in the future require, us to recognize impairment charges. Any of these factors could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
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We may not be able to successfully execute our strategic initiatives.
We plan to continue to conduct strategic initiatives in various markets. Consumer demands, behaviors, tastes, and purchasing trends may differ in these markets and, as a result, our sales strategies may not be successful and our product sales may not meet expectations, or the margins on those sales may be less than currently anticipated. We may also face difficulties integrating new business operations with our current sourcing, distribution, information technology systems, and other operations. Additionally, we may not successfully complete any planned strategic initiatives, including achieving any previously announced productivity efficiencies and financial targets, any new business may not be profitable or meet our expectations, or any divestiture may not be completed without disruption. Any of these challenges could hinder our success in new markets or new distribution channels, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our international operations subject us to additional risks and costs and may cause our profitability to decline.
We are a global company with sales and operations in numerous countries within developed and emerging markets. Approximately 31% of our 2024 net sales were generated outside of the United States. As a result, we are subject to risks inherent in global operations. These risks, which can vary substantially by market, are described in many of the risk factors discussed in this section, and also include:
•compliance with U.S. laws affecting operations outside of the United States, including anti-bribery and corruption laws such as the FCPA;
•changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, tax laws or their interpretations, or tax audit implications;
•the imposition of increased or new tariffs, quotas, trade barriers, or similar restrictions on our sales or imports (including those that may affect our sourcing operations and the availability of raw materials and commodities), trade agreements, regulations, taxes, or policies that might negatively affect our sales or costs;
•foreign currency devaluations or fluctuations in foreign currency values, including risks arising from the significant and rapid fluctuations in foreign currency exchange markets and the decisions made and positions taken to hedge such volatility;
•compliance with antitrust and competition laws, data privacy laws, human rights laws, and a variety of other local, national, and multi-national regulations and laws in multiple jurisdictions;
•discriminatory or conflicting fiscal policies in or across foreign jurisdictions;
•changes in capital controls, including foreign currency exchange controls, governmental foreign currency policies, or other limits on our ability to import raw materials or finished product into various countries or repatriate cash from outside the United States;
•challenges associated with cross-border product distribution, including economic sanctions, export controls, and labor restrictions;
•changes in local regulations and laws, the uncertainty of enforcement of remedies in foreign jurisdictions, and foreign ownership restrictions and the potential for nationalization or expropriation of property or other resources;
•risks and costs associated with political and economic instability, military conflict, corruption, anti-American sentiment, and social and ethnic unrest in the countries in which we operate;
•the risks of operating in developing or emerging markets in which there are significant uncertainties regarding the interpretation, application, and enforceability of laws and regulations and the enforceability of contract rights and intellectual property rights;
•changing labor conditions and difficulties in staffing our operations;
•greater risk of uncollectible accounts or trade receivables and longer collection cycles; and
•design, implementation, and use of effective control environment processes across our various operations and employee base.
Slow economic growth, inflation, or high unemployment in the markets in which we operate could constrain consumer spending, and declining consumer purchasing power could adversely impact our profitability. Any of these factors could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Additionally, forced labor concerns have rapidly become a global area of interest, and have resulted in, and are expected to continue to result in, new regulations in the markets in which we operate.For example, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) prohibits the import of articles, merchandise, apparel, and goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (“Xinjiang”) of the People's Republic of China, or by entities identified by the U.S. government on the UFLPA Entity List. As a result of the UFLPA, materials and products we import into the United States could be held by U.S. Customs and Border Protection based on a suspicion that inputs used in such materials or products originated from Xinjiang or that they may have been produced by Chinese suppliers alleged to participate in forced labor, pending our provision of satisfactory evidence to the contrary. Among other consequences, such an outcome could result in negative publicity that harms our brands and reputation and could result in a delay or our complete inability to import such materials or products, which could result in inventory shortages and greater supply chain compliance costs.
Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could reduce the value of our products and brands.
We consider our intellectual property rights, particularly and most notably our trademarks, but also our patents, trade secrets, trade dress, copyrights, and licensing agreements, to be a significant and valuable aspect of our business. We attempt to protect our intellectual property rights through a combination of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and trade dress laws, as well as licensing agreements, third-party nondisclosure and assignment agreements, policing of third-party misuses of our intellectual property, and securing our information technology systems. Our failure to develop or adequately protect our trademarks, products, new features of our products, or our technology, or any change in law or other changes that serve to lessen or remove the current legal protections of our intellectual property, may diminish our competitiveness and could materially and adversely affect our product sales, business, and financial condition. We also license certain intellectual property, most notably trademarks, from third parties. To the extent that we are not able to contract with these third parties on favorable terms or maintain our relationships with these third parties, our rights to use certain intellectual property could be impacted, which may adversely impact our results from operations.
We may be unaware of intellectual property rights of others that may cover some of our technology, brands, or products. Any litigation regarding patents or other intellectual property could be costly and time-consuming and could divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement might also require us to enter into costly license agreements. We also may be subject to significant damages or injunctions against development and sale of certain products.
We may be unable to realize the anticipated benefits from prior or future streamlining actions to reduce fixed costs, simplify or improve processes, or improve our competitiveness.
We have implemented a number of initiatives, including development of an operations center and strategic long-term collaboration with suppliers, that we believe are important to position our business for future success and growth. We have evaluated and continue to evaluate changes to our organizational structure and operations to enable us to reduce costs, simplify or improve processes, and improve our competitiveness. Our future success may depend upon our ability to realize the benefits of these or other cost-saving initiatives. In addition, certain of our initiatives may lead to increased costs in other aspects of our business such as increased conversion, outsourcing, or distribution costs. We must accurately predict costs and be efficient in executing any plans to achieve cost savings and operate efficiently in the highly competitive food and beverage industry, particularly in an environment of increased competition. To capitalize on our efforts, we must carefully evaluate investments in our business and execute in those areas with the most potential return on investment. If we are unable to realize the anticipated benefits from any cost-saving efforts, we could be cost disadvantaged in the marketplace, and our competitiveness, production, profitability, financial condition, and operating results could be adversely affected.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has the ability to exert influence over us and significant influence over matters requiring stockholder approval.
As of December 28, 2024, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire Hathaway”) owns approximately 27.2% of our common stock. Two members of our Board are officers and/or directors of Berkshire Hathaway or its affiliates. As a result, Berkshire Hathaway has the potential to exercise influence over management and Board decisions, including those affecting our capital structure, such as the issuance of additional capital stock, the incurrence of additional indebtedness, the implementation of stock repurchase programs, and the declaration and amount of dividends. Berkshire Hathaway also has influence over any action requiring the approval of the holders of our common stock, including adopting any amendments to our charter, electing directors, and approving mergers or sales of substantially all of our capital stock or assets. In addition, Berkshire Hathaway is in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Berkshire Hathaway may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those opportunities may not be available to us.
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Financial Risks
Our level of indebtedness, as well as our ability to comply with covenants under our debt instruments, could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We have a substantial amount of indebtedness and are permitted to incur a substantial amount of additional indebtedness, including secured debt. Our existing debt, together with any incurrence of additional indebtedness, could have important consequences, including, but not limited to:
•increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
•limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, research and development, debt service requirements, acquisitions, and general corporate or other purposes;
•resulting in a downgrade to our credit rating, which could adversely affect our cost of funds, including our commercial paper programs, liquidity, and access to capital markets;
•restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make non-strategic divestitures;
•limiting our ability to adjust to changing market conditions and place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors who are not as highly leveraged;
•making it more difficult for us to make payments on our existing indebtedness;
•requiring a substantial portion of cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, payments of dividends, capital expenditures, and future business opportunities;
•exposing us to risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency, as we earn profits in a variety of foreign currencies and the majority of our debt is denominated in U.S. dollars; and
•in the case of any additional indebtedness, exacerbating the risks associated with our substantial financial leverage.
In addition, we may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or future debt or equity financings may not be available to us to enable us to pay our indebtedness or to fund other needs. As a result, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity. We may not be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all. Any inability to generate sufficient cash flow or to refinance our indebtedness on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
Our debt instruments contain customary representations, warranties, and covenants, including a financial covenant in our senior unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Senior Credit Facility”) to maintain a minimum shareholders’ equity balance (excluding accumulated other comprehensive income/(losses)). The creditors who hold our debt could accelerate amounts due in the event that we default, which could potentially trigger a default or acceleration of the maturity of our other debt. If our operating performance declines, or if we are unable to comply with any covenant, such as our ability to timely prepare and file our periodic reports with the SEC, we have in the past needed and may in the future need to obtain waivers from the required creditors under our debt instruments to avoid being in default.
If we breach any covenants under our debt instruments and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required creditors, or we may not be able to remedy compliance within the terms of any waivers approved by the required creditors. If this occurs, we would be in default under our debt instruments and unable to access our Senior Credit Facility. In addition, certain creditors could exercise their rights, as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
Additional impairments of the carrying amounts of goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangible assets could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.
As of December 28, 2024, we maintain 12 reporting units, eight of which comprise our goodwill balance. Our indefinite-lived intangible asset balance primarily consists of a number of individual brands. We test our reporting units and brands for impairment annually as of the first day of our third quarter, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or brand is less than its carrying amount. Such events and circumstances could include a sustained decrease in our market capitalization, increased competition or unexpected loss of market share, increased input costs beyond projections, disposals of significant brands or components of our business, unexpected business disruptions (for example due to a natural disaster, pandemic, or loss of a customer, supplier, or other significant business relationship), unexpected significant declines in operating results, significant adverse changes in the markets in which we operate, changes in income tax rates, changes in interest rates, or changes in management strategy. We test reporting units for impairment by comparing the estimated fair value of each reporting unit with its carrying amount. We test brands for impairment by comparing the estimated fair value of each brand with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit or brand exceeds its estimated fair value, we record an impairment loss based on the difference between fair value and carrying amount, in the case of reporting units, not to exceed the associated carrying amount of goodwill.
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Reporting units and brands that have 20% or less excess fair value over carrying amount as of the 2024 annual impairment test performed as of June 30, 2024 have a heightened risk of future impairments if any assumptions, estimates, or market factors change in the future. Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions, estimates, and market factors. Estimating the fair value of individual reporting units and brands requires us to make assumptions and estimates regarding our future plans, as well as industry, economic, and regulatory conditions. These assumptions and estimates include estimated future annual net cash flows (including net sales, cost of products sold, SG&A, depreciation and amortization, working capital, and capital expenditures), income tax rates, discount rates, long-term growth rates, royalty rates, contributory asset charges, and other market factors. If current expectations of future growth rates and margins are not met, if market factors outside of our control, such as discount rates, market capitalization, income tax rates, foreign currency exchange rates, or inflation, change, or if management’s expectations or plans otherwise change, including updates to our long-term operating plans, then one or more of our reporting units or brands might become impaired in the future, which could negatively affect our operating results or net worth. Furthermore, changes in reporting units, including as a result of integrating a new acquisition into an existing reporting unit that has a fair value below carrying amount of goodwill, have led, and could in the future lead, to an impairment of goodwill. Additionally, any decisions to divest certain non-strategic assets has led, and could in the future lead, to goodwill or intangible asset impairments.
Reporting units with 10% or less fair value over carrying amount, including reporting units that were impaired as part of the 2024 annual impairment test, resulting in zero excess fair value over carrying value, had an aggregate goodwill carrying amount after impairment of $22.4 billion as of the 2024 annual impairment test and included Taste Elevation, Ready Meals and Snacking (“TMS”), Away from Home & Kraft Heinz Ingredients (“AFH”), Meat & Cheese (“MC”), Canada and North America Coffee (“CNAC”), and Continental Europe. Our Northern Europe reporting unit had 10-20% fair value over carrying amount with an aggregate goodwill carrying amount of $1.7 billion as of the 2024 annual impairment test. Our Hydration & Desserts (“HD”) and Asia reporting units had between 20-50% fair value over carrying amount with an aggregate goodwill carrying amount of $4.6 billion as of the 2024 annual impairment test. Our reporting units that have less than 5% excess fair value over carrying amount as of the 2024 annual impairment test are considered at a heightened risk of future impairments and include our TMS, Continental Europe, and AFH reporting units, which had an aggregate goodwill carrying amount of $19.0 billion. Our four remaining reporting units had no goodwill carrying amount at the time of the 2024 annual impairment test.
Our indefinite-lived brands with 10% or less fair value over carrying amount, comprised entirely of brands that were impaired within 2024, resulting in zero excess fair value over carrying amount, had an aggregate carrying amount of $2.6 billion as of the latest test for each brand and included Oscar Mayer, Lunchables, Claussen, and Wattie’s. Brands with 10-20% fair value over carrying amount had an aggregate carrying amount of $14.2 billion as of the latest test for each brand and included Kraft,Velveeta, A1, and Bagel Bites.The aggregate carrying amount of brands with fair value over carrying amount between 20-50% was $2.8 billion as of the latest test for each brand. Although the remaining brands, with a carrying amount of $16.9 billion, have more than 50% excess fair value over carrying amount as of the latest test for each brand, these amounts are also susceptible to impairments if any assumptions, estimates, or market factors significantly change in the future. Our brands that have less than 5% excess fair value over carrying amount as of the latest test for each brand are considered at a heightened risk of future impairments and include our Oscar Mayer, Lunchables, Claussen, and Wattie’s brands, which had an aggregate carrying amount of $2.6 billion.
Our net sales and net income may be exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations.
We derive a substantial portion of our net sales from international markets. We hold assets, incur liabilities, earn revenue, and pay expenses in a variety of currencies other than the U.S. dollar, primarily the Canadian dollar, euro, British pound sterling, Australian dollar, Brazilian real, Chinese renminbi, Indonesian rupiah, New Zealand dollar, and Russian ruble. Since our consolidated financial statements are reported in U.S. dollars, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates from period to period, which have been more volatile recently, will have an impact on our reported results. We have implemented foreign currency hedges intended to reduce our exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. However, these hedging strategies may not be successful, and any of our unhedged foreign exchange exposures will continue to be subject to market fluctuations. In addition, in certain circumstances, we may incur costs in one currency related to services or products for which we are paid in a different currency. As a result, factors associated with our international operations, including changes in foreign currency exchange rates, could significantly affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Commodity, energy, and other input prices are volatile and could negatively affect our consolidated operating results.
We purchase and use large quantities of commodities, including dairy products, meat products, tomato products, sugar and other sweeteners, soybean and vegetable oils, coffee beans, wheat and processed grains, eggs, and other fruits and vegetables to manufacture our products. In addition, we purchase and use significant quantities of plastics, cardboard, resin, glass, and metal to package our products, and we use other inputs, such as electricity, natural gas, and water, to operate our facilities. We are also exposed to changes in oil prices, including diesel fuel, which influence both our packaging and transportation costs. Prices
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for commodities, energy, and other supplies are volatile and can fluctuate due to conditions that are difficult to predict, including global competition for resources, inflationary pressure, foreign currency fluctuations, geopolitical conditions or conflicts, cybersecurity incidents, severe weather, natural disasters, global climate change, water risk, pandemics, crop failures, crop shortages due to plant disease or insect and other pest infestation, consumer, industrial, or investment demand, and changes in governmental regulation and trade, tariffs, alternative energy, including increased demand for biofuels, and agricultural programs. Additionally, we may be unable to maintain favorable arrangements with respect to the costs of procuring raw materials, packaging, services, and transporting products, which could result in increased expenses and negatively affect our operations. Furthermore, the cost of raw materials and finished products may fluctuate due to changes in cross-currency transaction rates. Rising commodity, energy, and other input costs could materially and adversely affect our cost of operations, including the manufacture, transportation, and distribution of our products, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
Although we monitor our exposure to commodity and other input prices as an integral part of our overall risk management program, and seek to hedge against input price increases to the extent we deem appropriate, we do not fully hedge against changes in commodity prices, and our hedging strategies may not protect us from increases in specific raw materials costs. For example, hedging our costs for one of our key commodities, dairy products, is difficult because dairy futures markets are not as liquid as many other commodities futures markets. Continued volatility or sustained increases in the prices of commodities and other supplies we purchase could increase the costs of our products, and our profitability could suffer. Moreover, increases in the prices of our products to cover these increased costs may result in lower sales volumes, or we may be constrained from increasing the prices of our products by competitive and consumer pressures. If we are not successful in our hedging activities, or if we are unable to price our products to cover increased costs, then commodity and other input price volatility or increases could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
In 2024, we experienced moderate inflation in our supply chain costs compared to the prior year period, which we expect to continue through 2025. While inflationary pressures within procurement, manufacturing, and logistics costs had a negative impact on our results of operations, we experienced increased stability of these costs as compared to the prior year period. Although we take measures to mitigate the impact of this inflation through pricing actions and efficiency initiatives, if these measures are not effective our financial condition, operating results, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. Even if such measures are effective, we expect that there could be a difference between the timing of when these beneficial actions impact our results of operations and when the cost inflation is incurred. Additionally, the pricing actions we take have, in some instances, negatively impacted and could continue to negatively impact our market share.
Volatility in the market value of all or a portion of the derivatives we use to manage exposures to fluctuations in commodity prices may cause volatility in our gross profit and net income.
We use commodity futures, options, and swaps to economically hedge the price of certain input costs, including dairy products, vegetable oils, coffee beans, corn, wheat products, sugar cane and meat products. We recognize gains and losses based on changes in the values of these commodity derivatives. We recognize these gains and losses in cost of products sold in our consolidated statements of income. We recognize the unrealized gains and losses on these commodity derivatives in general corporate expenses until realized; once realized, the gains and losses are recorded in the applicable segment’s operating results. Accordingly, changes in the values of our commodity derivatives may cause volatility in our gross profit and net income.
Regulatory Risks
Our compliance with laws and regulations, and related legal claims or regulatory enforcement actions, could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation.
As a large, global food and beverage company, we operate in a highly regulated environment with constantly evolving legal and regulatory frameworks. Various laws and regulations govern our practices including, but not limited to, those related to advertising and marketing, product claims and labeling, food production and nutritional requirements, environmental matters (including climate change), packaging and waste management (including packaging containing PFAS), intellectual property, consumer protection and product liability, commercial disputes, trade and export controls, anti-trust, data privacy, labor and employment, workplace health and safety, forced labor, such as the UFLPA, and tax. As a consequence, we face a heightened risk of legal claims and regulatory enforcement actions in the ordinary course of business. In addition, the imposition of new laws, changes in laws or regulatory requirements or changing interpretations thereof, and differing or competing regulations and standards across the markets where our products are made, manufactured, distributed, and sold have in the past and could continue to result in higher compliance costs, capital expenditures, and higher production costs, adversely impacting our product sales, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, claims about the health impacts of consumption of our products, or ingredients, components, or substances present or allegedly present in those products or packaging, including in connection with the development, manufacture, and marketing of our products, have resulted in, and could in the future result
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in, us being subject to regulations, fines, lawsuits, or taxes, or may cause us to change the way in which we operate which could adversely impact our profitability, financial condition, or operating results.
As a result of any such legal claims or regulatory enforcement actions, we could be subject to monetary judgments, settlements, and civil and criminal actions, including fines, injunctions, product recalls, penalties, disgorgement of profits, or activity restrictions, which could materially and adversely affect our reputation, product sales, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. We evaluate these legal claims and regulatory enforcement actions to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Based on these assessments and estimates, we establish reserves and disclose relevant material litigation claims, legal proceedings, or regulatory enforcement actions as appropriate and in accordance with SEC rules and accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). Our assessments and estimates are based on the information available to management at the time and involve a significant amount of judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from our current assessments and estimates. In addition, even if a claim is unsuccessful, without merit, or not pursued to completion, the cost of defending against or responding to such a claim, including expenses and management time, could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately and timely report our financial results, which could negatively impact our business, investor confidence, and the price of our common stock.
If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures, our ability to record, process, and report financial information accurately and to prepare financial statements within required time periods could be adversely affected, which could subject us to litigation, investigations, or penalties; negatively affect our liquidity, our access to capital markets, perceptions of our creditworthiness, our ability to complete acquisitions, our ability to maintain compliance with covenants under our debt instruments or derivative arrangements regarding the timely filing of periodic reports, or investor confidence in our financial reporting; or cause defaults, accelerations, or cross-accelerations under our debt instruments or derivative arrangements to the extent we are unable to obtain waivers from the required creditors or counterparties or to cure any breaches, any of which may require management resources or cause our stock price to decline.
A downgrade in our credit rating could adversely impact interest costs or access to future borrowings.
Our borrowing costs can be affected by short and long-term credit ratings assigned by rating organizations. A decrease in these credit ratings could limit our access to capital markets and increase our borrowing costs, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. As of the date of this filing, our long-term debt is rated BBB by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings and Baa2 by Moody’s Investor Services, Inc., with a stable outlook from all three ratings agencies.
Registered Securities Risks
Sales of our common stock in the public market could cause volatility in the price of our common stock or cause the share price to fall.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, including sales of our common stock by Berkshire Hathaway, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock, and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. A sustained depression in the market price of our common stock has happened and could in the future happen, which could also reduce our market capitalization below the book value of net assets, which could increase the likelihood of recognizing goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment losses that could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Kraft Heinz and Berkshire Hathaway are party to a registration rights agreement requiring us to register for resale under the Securities Act all registrable shares held by Berkshire Hathaway, which represents all shares of our common stock held by Berkshire Hathaway as of the date of the closing of the 2015 Merger. As of December 28, 2024, registrable shares represented approximately 27.2% of all outstanding shares of our common stock. Although the registrable shares are subject to certain holdback and suspension periods, the registrable shares are not subject to a “lock-up” or similar restriction under the registration rights agreement. Accordingly, offers and sales of a large number of registrable shares may be made pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act in accordance with the terms of the registration rights agreement. Sales of our common stock by Berkshire Hathaway to other persons would likely result in an increase in the number of shares being traded in the public market and may increase the volatility of the price of our common stock.
Our share repurchase program may not be fully consummated and the anticipated enhanced long-term stockholder value may not be realized, and share repurchases could increase the volatility of the price of our stock.
In November 2023, the Board authorized the Company to repurchase up to $3.0 billion, exclusive of fees, of our outstanding common stock through December 26, 2026. December 28, 2024, we had remaining authorization under the share repurchase program of approximately $1.9 billion. Our repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific dollar amount
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or to acquire any specific number of shares. The timing and amount of any repurchases, if any, will depend on factors such as our historical and expected business performance and cash and liquidity positions, the price of our stock, economic and market conditions, and corporate and regulatory requirements. Our share repurchase program could affect the price of our stock and increase volatility and may be suspended or terminated at any time. We cannot guarantee that we will repurchase shares or conduct future share repurchase programs, or that any such programs, even if fully implemented, will result in long-term increases to stockholder value. Any failure to fully implement our repurchase program may negatively impact our reputation, investor confidence, and the price of the Company’s common stock.
Our ability to pay regular dividends to our stockholders and the amounts of any such dividends are subject to the discretion of the Board and may be limited by our financial condition, debt agreements, or limitations under Delaware law.
Although it is currently anticipated that we will continue to pay regular quarterly dividends, any such determination to pay dividends and the amounts thereof will be at the discretion of the Board and will be dependent on then-existing conditions, including our financial condition, income, legal requirements, including limitations under Delaware law, debt agreements, and other factors the Board deems relevant. The Board has previously decided, and may in the future decide, in its sole discretion, to change the amount or frequency of dividends or discontinue the payment of dividends entirely. For these reasons, stockholders will not be able to rely on dividends to receive a return on investment. Accordingly, realization of any gain on shares of our common stock may depend on the appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may not occur.
General Risk Factors
Disruptions in the global economy caused by geopolitical conflicts could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Escalation of geopolitical tensions related to military conflict, including increased trade barriers or restrictions on global trade, could result in, among other things, supply chain disruptions, changes in consumer demand, increased cyberattacks, and impacts on foreign exchange rates and financial markets, any of which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Although we do not have operations in Ukraine, and our business in Russia generated approximately 1% of our consolidated net sales for the year ended December 28, 2024, the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused, and could continue to cause, negative impacts on our business and the global economy. Governments in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and European Union have each imposed export controls and economic sanctions on certain industry sectors and parties in Russia. Further, the Russian government has placed restrictions on the transfer of funds to and from Russian entities, making it more difficult to operate in Russia. Failure to comply with applicable sanctions and measures could subject us to regulatory penalties, temporary or permanent loss of assets, or our ability to conduct business operations in Russia. While less than 1% of consolidated total assets are located in Russia as of December 28, 2024, our Russian assets may be partially or fully impaired in future periods, or our business operations terminated, based on actions taken by Russia, other parties, or us. The effects of current geopolitical conflicts as well as potential future geopolitical tensions, could heighten many of our known risks described in this Item 1A, Risk Factors.
Unanticipated business disruptions and natural events in the locations in which we or our customers, suppliers, distributors, or regulators operate could adversely affect our ability to provide products to our customers or our results of operations.
We have a complex network of suppliers, owned and leased manufacturing locations, co-manufacturing locations, distribution networks, and information systems that support our ability to consistently provide our products to our customers. Factors that are hard to predict or beyond our control, such as weather or other geological events or natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, or wild fires (whether as a result of climate change or otherwise), raw material shortages, fires or explosions, political unrest, geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, civil strife, acts of war, public corruption, expropriation, generalized labor unrest or labor shortages, cybersecurity incidents, or pandemics, could damage or disrupt our operations or the operations of our customers, suppliers, vendors, co-manufacturers, distributors, or regulators. These factors include, but are not limited to:
•natural disasters, labor strikes, or other disruptions at any of our facilities or our suppliers’ or distributors’ facilities may impair or delay the delivery of our products; and
•illness of our workforce, or the workforce of third parties with which we do business, due to influenza or pandemics, could disrupt production of our products in one or more of our manufacturing facilities, or cause our suppliers, vendors, distributors, or third-party manufacturers to fail to meet their obligations to us.
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These or other disruptions may require additional resources to restore our supply chain or distribution network. While we insure against many of these events and certain business interruption risks and have policies and procedures to manage business continuity planning, such insurance may not compensate us for any losses incurred and our business continuity plans may not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner. To the extent we are unable to respond to disruptions in our operations, whether by finding alternative suppliers or replacing capacity at key manufacturing or distribution locations; to quickly repair damage to our information, production, or supply systems; or to financially mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or effectively manage them if they occur, we may be late in delivering, or unable to deliver, products to our customers or to track orders, inventory, receivables, and payables. If that occurs, our customers’ confidence in us and long-term demand for our products could decline. Any of these events could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our performance may be adversely affected by economic and political conditions in the United States and in various other nations where we do business.
Our performance has been in the past and may continue in the future to be impacted by economic and political conditions in the United States and in other nations where we do business. Economic and financial uncertainties in our international markets, changes to major international trade arrangements, and the imposition of increased or new tariffs by the U.S. federal government or by certain foreign governments could negatively impact our operations and sales. Other factors impacting our operations in the United States and in international locations where we do business include changes in laws, export and import restrictions, foreign currency exchange rates, foreign currency devaluation, cash repatriation restrictions, recessionary conditions, governmental subsidies provided to our consumers such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) in the U.S., foreign ownership restrictions, nationalization, the impact of hyperinflationary environments, a potential U.S. federal government shutdown, terrorist acts, political unrest, and military conflict. Such factors in either domestic or foreign jurisdictions, and our responses to them, could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
We rely on our management team and other key personnel and may be unable to hire or retain key personnel or a highly skilled and diverse global workforce.
We depend on the skills, working relationships, and continued services of key personnel, including our experienced management team. In addition, our ability to achieve our operating goals depends on our ability to identify, hire, train, and retain qualified individuals. We compete with other companies both within and outside of our industry for talented personnel, and we may lose key personnel or fail to attract, train, and retain other talented personnel and a diverse global workforce with the skills and in the locations we need to operate and grow our business. Unplanned turnover, failure to attract and develop personnel with key emerging capabilities or failure to develop adequate succession plans for leadership positions, including the Chief Executive Officer position, could deplete our institutional knowledge base and erode our competitiveness. Further, equity-based compensation is a key component of our compensation program and essential for attracting and retaining qualified personnel. As a result, the lack of positive performance in our stock price may adversely affect our ability to attract or retain key personnel. Changes in immigration laws and policies could also make it more difficult for us to recruit or relocate skilled employees. Any such loss, failure, or limitation could adversely affect our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
We are significantly dependent on information technology, and we may be unable to protect our information systems against service interruption, misappropriation of data, or breaches of security.
We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic and financial information, to manage a variety of business processes and activities, and to comply with regulatory, legal, and tax requirements. We also depend on our information technology infrastructure for digital marketing activities and for electronic communications among our locations, personnel, customers, and suppliers. These information technology systems, some of which are managed by third parties, may be susceptible to damage, invasions, disruptions, or shutdowns due to hardware failures, computer viruses, hacker attacks and other cybersecurity risks, telecommunication failures, user errors, catastrophic events, or other factors. Geopolitical tensions or conflicts, and the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may further heighten the risk of cybersecurity attacks. If our information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption, or shutdown, by unintentional or malicious actions of employees or contractors or by cyberattacks, and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, we could experience business disruptions, reputational damage, transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, the leakage of confidential information, and the loss of customers and sales, causing our product sales, financial condition, and operating results to be adversely affected and the reporting of our financial results to be delayed. While we have developed and implemented security measures and internal controls designed to protect against cyber and other security threats, such measures cannot provide absolute security and may not be successful in preventing future security breaches. Moreover, these threats are constantly evolving, thereby making it more difficult to successfully defend against them or to implement adequate preventative measures. We may not have the
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current capability to detect certain vulnerabilities, which may allow those vulnerabilities to persist in our systems over long periods of time. Additionally, it may take considerable time for us to investigate and evaluate the full impact of incidents, particularly for sophisticated attacks. These factors may inhibit our ability to provide prompt, full, and reliable information about the incident to our customers, partners, regulators, and the public. In the past, we have experienced security incidents resulting from unauthorized access to or use of our systems or those of third parties, which to date, have not had a material impact on our operations; however, there is no assurance that the impact of any security incidents will not be material in the future.
In addition, if we are unable to prevent security breaches or disclosure of non-public information, we may suffer financial and reputational damage, litigation or remediation costs, fines, or penalties because of the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our partners, customers, consumers, or suppliers. While we maintain a cyber insurance policy that provides coverage for security incidents, we cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred, that insurance will continue to be available to us on financially reasonable terms, or at all, or that any insurer will not deny coverage as to any future claim.
Misuse, leakage, or falsification of information could result in violations of data privacy laws and regulations, damage to our reputation and credibility, loss of opportunities to acquire or divest of businesses or brands, and loss of our ability to commercialize products developed through research and development efforts and, therefore, could have a negative impact on net sales. In addition, we may suffer financial and reputational damage because of lost or misappropriated confidential information belonging to us, our current or former employees, or to our suppliers or consumers, and may become subject to legal action and increased regulatory oversight. We could also be required to spend significant financial and other resources to remedy the damage caused by a security breach or to repair or replace networks and information systems.
We are also subject to various laws and regulations that are continuously evolving and developing regarding privacy, data protection, and data security, including those related to the collection, storage, handling, use, disclosure, transfer, and security of personal data. Such laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation and application, may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, which can result in inconsistent or conflicting requirements. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), and similar regulations implemented in other non-U.S. geographies, adds a broad array of requirements with respect to personal data, including the public disclosure of significant data breaches, and imposes substantial penalties for non-compliance. The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which amended the CCPA, among other things, impose additional requirements with respect to disclosure and deletion of personal information of California residents. The CCPA and CPRA provide civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches. Similar legislation in other states imposes transparency and other obligations with respect to personal data of their respective residents and provide residents with similar rights. GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, and other privacy and data protection laws may increase our costs of compliance and risks of non-compliance, which could result in substantial penalties.
Our results could be adversely impacted as a result of increased pension, labor, and people-related expenses.
Inflationary pressures, shortages in the labor market, increased employee turnover, and changes in the availability of our workers could increase labor costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results or financial condition. Our labor costs include the cost of providing employee benefits in the United States, Canada, and other foreign jurisdictions, including pension, health and welfare, and severance benefits. Any declines in market returns could adversely impact the funding of pension plans, the assets of which are invested in a diversified portfolio of equity and fixed-income securities and other investments. Additionally, the annual costs of benefits vary with increased costs of health care and the outcome of collectively bargained wage and benefit agreements.
Furthermore, we may be subject to increased costs or experience adverse effects to our operating results if we are unable to renew collectively bargained agreements on satisfactory terms. Our financial condition and ability to meet the needs of our customers could be materially and adversely affected if strikes or work stoppages or interruptions occur as a result of delayed negotiations with union-represented employees both in and outside of the United States.
Employee turnover, changes in the availability of our workers, and labor shortages in our supply chain have resulted in, and could continue to result in, increased costs and have, and could again, impact our ability to meet consumer demand, both of which could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Changes in tax laws and interpretations could adversely affect our business.
We are subject to income and other taxes in the United States and in numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our domestic and foreign tax liabilities are dependent on the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed. Additionally, the amount of taxes paid is subject to our interpretation of applicable tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate. A number of factors influence our effective tax rate, including changes in tax laws and treaties as well as the interpretation of existing laws and rules. Federal, state, and local governments and administrative bodies within the United States, which represents the
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majority of our operations, and other foreign jurisdictions have implemented, or are considering, a variety of broad tax, trade, and other regulatory reforms that may impact us. Additionally, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a global coalition of member countries, proposed a two-pillar plan that aims to ensure a fairer distribution of profits among countries and impose a floor on tax competition through the introduction of a global minimum tax of 15%. Many countries have enacted or begun the process of enacting laws based on the two-pillar plan proposals. As the legislation becomes effective in countries in which we do business, our taxes could increase and negatively impact our provision for income taxes. See Overview in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, for a discussion of our estimated cash tax rate impact on results of operations.
Significant judgment, knowledge, and experience are required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes. Our future effective tax rate is impacted by a number of factors including changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in geographic mix of income, changes in expenses not deductible for tax, including impairment of goodwill, and changes in available tax credits. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are also regularly subject to audits by tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits, including transfer pricing matters, and any related litigation could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. For example, we are currently under examination for income taxes by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for the years 2018 through 2022. In the third quarter of 2023, we received two Notices of Proposed Adjustment (the “NOPAs”) relating to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries. The NOPAs propose an increase to our U.S. taxable income that could result in additional U.S. federal income tax expense and liability of approximately $200 million for 2018 and approximately $210 million for 2019, excluding interest, and assert penalties of approximately $85 million for each of 2018 and 2019. We strongly disagree with the IRS’s positions, believe that our tax positions are well documented and properly supported, and intend to vigorously contest the positions taken by the IRS and pursue all available administrative and judicial remedies; however, the ultimate outcome of this matter is uncertain, and if we are required to pay the IRS additional U.S. taxes, interest, and potential penalties, our results of operations and cash flows could be materially affected. We continue to maintain the same operating model and transfer pricing methodology with our foreign subsidiaries that was in place for the years 2018 and 2019, and the IRS began its audit of 2020, 2021, and 2022 during the first quarter of 2024. Economic and political pressures to increase tax revenue in various jurisdictions may make resolving tax disputes more difficult. The results of an audit or litigation could adversely affect our financial statements in the period or periods for which that determination is made.
Volatility of capital markets or macroeconomic factors could adversely affect our business.
Changes in financial and capital markets, including market disruptions, instability in financial institutions, limited liquidity, and interest rate volatility, may increase the cost of financing as well as the risks of refinancing maturing debt. Additionally, some of our customers, suppliers, and counterparties are highly leveraged. Consolidations in some of the industries in which our customers operate have created larger customers, some of which are highly leveraged and facing increased competition and continued credit market volatility. These factors have caused some customers to be less profitable, increasing our exposure to credit risk. A significant adverse change in the financial and/or credit position of a customer, supplier, or counterparty could require us to assume greater credit risk relating to that customer or counterparty and could limit our ability to collect receivables. This could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and liquidity.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure
The Company assesses, identifies, and manages cybersecurity risk using a data-driven risk management program intended to reduce risks to the following impact classes: the Company’s obligations to prevent harm to parties, including employees, customers, and stockholders; and the Company’s business objectives.
As part of our cybersecurity strategy, we set risk targets based on our risk thresholds using industry-recognized standards for controlling and evaluating the risk of cybersecurity threats. The Company has developed cybersecurity policies supported by defined standards, including identity and access control, network controls, operational security, information classification, cybersecurity risk management, incident management and reporting, and security in software development lifecycle.
We undertake scheduled and targeted cybersecurity risk assessments to identify and prioritize risks to our three impact classes so that foreseeably harmed parties (which include our employees, contractors, partners, customers, stockholders, consumers, and suppliers) are explicitly included in our risk analysis and risk management priorities. We plan for, implement, and improve safeguards that are designed to reduce unacceptable risks to any foreseeably harmed party. We engage third-party service
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providers (including contractors and vendors) as part of our normal business operations, including collaborating with third-party experts to assist with evaluating, identifying, and managing our cybersecurity risks.
Our cybersecurity risk management program includes:
•Ongoing audits of third-party service providers, including penetration testing and reviews of program maturity based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) cybersecurity framework;
•Due diligence reviews of third-party service providers’ information security programs;
•Regular phishing, social engineering, and cybersecurity awareness training for employees with Company emails and access to connected devices;
•Annual tabletop exercises to educate and train our personnel on response capabilities and inform adjustments to our controls and response;
•Regular consultation with external advisors and specialists regarding opportunities and enhancements to strengthen our cybersecurity practices and policies;
•Ongoing cybersecurity event monitoring, management, and testing of incident response procedures; and
•Ongoing enhancements to cybersecurity capabilities based on evolving threats.
We have adopted an incident response plan that applies in the event of a cybersecurity threat or incident to provide a standardized framework for responding to such cybersecurity incidents. The plan sets out a coordinated approach to investigating, containing, documenting, and mitigating incidents, including reporting findings and keeping senior management, the Board, and other key stakeholders informed and involved as appropriate. The plan is aligned to NIST guidance. It also adheres to standards of practice and includes the involvement of any personnel who may detect incidents, respond to incidents, resolve incidents, and manage communications and responsibilities with authorities about those incidents. The plan applies to all Company personnel (including third-party contractors, vendors, and partners) that perform functions or services requiring access to secure Company information, and to all devices and network services that are owned or managed by the Company.
We also employ systems and processes designed to oversee, identify, and reduce the potential impact of a cybersecurity incident at a third-party service provider. We maintain a third-party cyber risk management process to review and monitor potentially material third-party service providers’ security controls. Third-party service providers are required to provide independent attestation reports of their control environment, which are reviewed to validate that the controls meet Company security requirements. In the absence of such reports, third-party service providers are required to complete a detailed questionnaire describing their controls and provide relevant documentation. As part of the third-party risk management process, we request and review annual penetration test reports for the third-party service providers designed to assess whether all high and medium risk findings are addressed. The control environments for third-party service providers are reviewed annually based on risk.
Our cybersecurity risk mitigation strategy includes the use of cybersecurity insurance that provides protection against certain potential losses arising from certain cybersecurity incidents.
Risk management concerns, priorities, and progress are reported to the Company’s Enterprise Risk Committee quarterly as part of the Company’s overall enterprise risk management process. Risk management reports describe cybersecurity priorities, planned safeguards, and resource requirements necessary to achieve acceptable risk outcomes for foreseeably harmed parties.
The Company governs cybersecurity risk through a risk management program designed to enable employees, members of the Audit Committee, Enterprise Risk Committee, executive officers, and other personnel to make informed decisions about cybersecurity risk management that are appropriate for their level of responsibility. Our Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) oversees the team responsible for leading enterprise-wide information security strategy, policy, standards, architecture, and processes.Our CISO has extensive cybersecurity knowledge and skills gained from more than 20 years of work experience in information security in the consumer goods, banking, legal, healthcare, and education sectors as well as the government. Our CISO holds a master’s degree in computer and information systems security/information assurance and designations as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).The CISO evaluates cybersecurity risks, plans for reduction of risks, directs resources and priorities to improve cybersecurity safeguards, measures the results of those efforts, reports to our senior and executive leaders (including our Global Chief Information Officer and Global Chief Financial Officer), the Enterprise Risk Management Committee, and the Audit Committee regarding our cybersecurity risk priorities and progress, and solicits support from senior and executive leaders to further reduce risks through resources, prioritization, or other means. The CISO receives reports on cybersecurity threats from our Security Operations Center, external threat intel, trusted third-party security suppliers, and a peer network of CISOs at other global companies on an ongoing basis. Our Security Operations Center verifies and validates the threat information and modifies our detection and preventative controls as appropriate. Our CISO works closely with our Chief Global Ethics and Compliance Officer and Global General Counsel and Corporate Affairs Officer to oversee compliance with legal, regulatory,
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and contractual security requirements. The CISO’s team evaluates third-party service providers to a degree commensurate with the risk their services pose to us. As part of that program, we also provide feedback to service providers about risks they can reduce using commercially available safeguards. Additionally, the information security team works in partnership with the Company’s internal audit team to review information technology-related internal controls as part of our overall internal controls process.
The Audit Committee is responsible for oversight of the Company’s information technology and cybersecurity risks. To fulfill its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviews the measures implemented by the Company to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks and the Audit Committee receives updates from our Global Chief Information Officer and CISO at least twice a year, which cover topics related to information security, privacy, and cybersecurity risks, and the risk management processes, including the status of significant cybersecurity incidences, the emerging threat landscape, and the status of projects to strengthen the Company’s information security posture. The Audit Committee regularly reports to the Board on information technology, cybersecurity, and privacy matters. We have protocols by which certain cybersecurity incidents that meet established reporting thresholds are escalated within the Company and, where appropriate, reported promptly to the Audit Committee or Board, with ongoing updates regarding any such incident until it has been addressed.
We also rely on information technology, third-party service providers, and strategic joint venture partners to support our business and operations, including our secure processing of personal, confidential, financial, sensitive, proprietary, and other types of information, and to enable our service offerings. Despite ongoing efforts to improve our and third parties’ ability to protect against cybersecurity threats, we may not be able to protect all information systems, products, and service technologies.
While we have not experienced any material cybersecurity threats or incidents as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, there can be no guarantee that we will not be the subject of future successful attacks, threats, or incidents that may materially affect the Company or its business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. Additional information on cybersecurity-related risks is discussed under the heading “We are significantly dependent on information technology, and we may be unable to protect our information systems against service interruption, misappropriation of data, or breaches of security.” under Item 1A, Risk Factors.
Item 2. Properties.
Our corporate co-headquarters are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Chicago, Illinois. Our co-headquarters are leased and house certain executive offices, our North America business units, and our administrative, finance, legal, and human resource functions. We maintain additional owned and leased offices throughout the regions in which we operate.
We manufacture our products in our network of manufacturing and processing facilities located throughout the world. As of December 28, 2024, we operated 70 manufacturing and processing facilities. We own 66 and lease four of these facilities. Our manufacturing and processing facilities count by segment as of December 28, 2024 was:
Owned Leased
North America 32 2
International Developed Markets 17 —
Emerging Markets(a) 17 2
(a) Emerging Markets represents the aggregation of our WEEM and AEM operating segments.
We maintain all of our manufacturing and processing facilities in good condition and believe they are suitable and are adequate for our present needs. We also enter into co-manufacturing arrangements with third parties if we determine it is advantageous to outsource the production of any of our products.
In 2024, as part of our planned restructuring and divestiture activities, we sold a manufacturing facility in Papua New Guinea and a manufacturing facility in Indonesia within our Asia Emerging Markets operating segment and two manufacturing facilities in Russia within our West and East Emerging Markets operating segment. See Note 5, Restructuring Activities, and Note 4, Acquisitions and Divestitures, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
See Note 15, Commitments and Contingencies, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
PART II
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Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) under the ticker symbol “KHC.” At February 8, 2025, there were approximately 34,653 holders of record of our common stock.
See Equity and Dividends in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, for a discussion of cash dividends declared on our common stock.
Comparison of Cumulative Total Return
The following graph compares the cumulative total return on our common stock with the cumulative total return of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Consumer Staples Food and Soft Drink Products, which we consider to be our peer group. Companies included in the S&P Consumer Staples Food and Soft Drink Products index change periodically and are presented on the basis of the index as it is comprised on December 28, 2024. This graph covers the five-year period from December 27, 2019 (the last trading day of our fiscal year 2019) through December 27, 2024 (the last trading day of our fiscal year 2024). The graph shows total shareholder return assuming $100 was invested on December 27, 2019 and the dividends were reinvested on a daily basis.
Kraft Heinz S&P 500 S&P Consumer Staples Food and Soft Drink Products
The above performance graph shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act.
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Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities During the Three Months Ended December 28, 2024
Our share repurchase activity in the three months ended December 28, 2024 was:
(a) Includes (1) shares purchased pursuant to the share repurchase program described in (b) below, (2) shares withheld for tax liabilities associated with the vesting of RSUs.
(b) On November 27, 2023, the Company announced that the Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the Company to purchase up to $3.0 billion of the Company’s common stock through December 26, 2026. The Company is not obligated to repurchase any specific number of shares and the program may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time. Under the program, shares may be repurchased in open market transactions, including under plans complying with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, privately negotiated transactions, transactions structured through investment banking institutions, or other means.
Item 6. [Reserved].
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Overview
Objective:
The following discussion provides an analysis of our financial condition and results of operations from management's perspective and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our objective is to also provide discussion of material events and uncertainties known to management that are reasonably likely to cause reported financial information not to be indicative of future operating results or of future financial condition and to offer information that provides an understanding of our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
See below for discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for 2024 compared to 2023 and for 2023 compared to 2022.
Description of the Company:
We manufacture and market food and beverage products around the world through our eight consumer-driven product platforms: Taste Elevation, Easy Ready Meals, Hydration, Meats, Cheeses, Substantial Snacking, Desserts, Coffee, and other grocery products.
In the first quarter of 2024, we divided our International segment into three operating segments — Europe and Pacific Developed Markets (“EPDM” or “International Developed Markets”), West and East Emerging Markets (“WEEM”), and Asia Emerging Markets (“AEM”) — to enable enhanced focus on the different strategies required for each of these regions as part of our long-term strategic plan. Subsequently, we manage our operating results through four operating segments. We have two reportable segments defined by geographic region: North America and International Developed Markets. Our remaining operating segments, consisting of WEEM and AEM, are combined and disclosed as Emerging Markets.
See Note 20, Segment Reporting, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for our financial information by segment.
Items Affecting Comparability of Financial Results
Impairment Losses:
Our results of operations reflect goodwill impairment losses of $1.6 billion and intangible asset impairment losses of $2.0 billion in 2024. We recognized goodwill impairment losses of $510 million and intangible asset impairment losses of $152 million in 2023. We recognized goodwill impairment losses of $444 million, intangible asset impairment losses of $469 million, and net property, and plant, and equipment asset impairment losses of $86 million in 2022. See Note 8, Goodwill and Intangible Assets, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our goodwill and intangible asset impairment losses.
53rd Week:
We operate on a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in December in each calendar year. Our 2024 fiscal year was a 52-week period that ended on December 28, 2024, our 2023 fiscal year was a 52-week period that ended on December 30, 2023, and our 2022 fiscal year was a 53-week period that ended on December 31, 2022.
Acquisitions and Divestitures:
In 2024, we closed the sale of our infant nutrition business in Russia (the “Russia Infant Transaction”) and the sale of 100% of the equity interests in our Papua New Guinea subsidiary (the “Papua New Guinea Transaction”), both within Emerging Markets. In 2022, we completed the Hemmer Acquisition within Emerging Markets, and the Just Spices Acquisition within our International Developed Markets segment. See Note 4, Acquisitions and Divestitures, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our acquisition and divestiture activities.
Inflation and Supply Chain Impacts:
During the year ended December 28, 2024, we experienced moderate inflation in our supply chain costs compared to the prior year period, which we expect to continue through 2025. While inflationary pressures within procurement, manufacturing, and logistics costs had a negative impact on our results of operations, we experienced increased stability of these costs as compared to the prior year period. Further, we continue to take measures to mitigate the impact of this inflation through efficiency initiatives, pricing actions, and hedging strategies. However, there has been, and we expect that there could continue to be, a difference between the timing of when these beneficial actions impact our results of operations and when the cost inflation is incurred. Additionally, the pricing actions we have taken have, in some instances, negatively impacted, and could continue to negatively impact, our market share.
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Income Taxes:
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a global coalition of member countries, proposed a two-pillar plan that aims to ensure a fairer distribution of profits among countries and impose a floor on tax competition through the introduction of a global minimum tax of 15%. Many countries have enacted, or begun the process of enacting, laws based on the two-pillar plan proposals.
As part of our planning for the changes in the international tax environment, as well as to achieve greater operational synergies, we have enacted changes to our corporate entity structure which included a transfer of, and will result in the movement of, certain business operations to a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Netherlands resulting in a tax benefit of $3.0 billion recorded as a non-U.S. deferred tax asset in December 2024. The deferred tax asset was recognized as a result of the book and tax basis difference on the business transferred to the Netherlands subsidiary with the tax basis determined by reference to the fair value of the business. The determination of the estimated fair value of the transferred business is complex and requires the exercise of substantial judgment due to the use of subjective assumptions in the valuation method used by management. The associated valuation allowance of $0.6 billion is related to uncertainty in the Pillar Two legislative interpretation and is based on our latest assessment of the total tax benefit that is more likely than not to be realized. The recognition of our future tax benefits associated with this transaction is dependent upon the acceptance of the business valuation and tax basis step-up by the associated taxing authorities.
The legislative developments in conjunction with changes we made to our corporate entity structure are estimated to increase our cash tax rate by 2.0% to 3.0% and our effective tax rate by approximately 5.0%. The estimated rates could be impacted by the outcome of examinations by taxing authorities and future legislative developments.
Results of Operations
We disclose in this report certain non-GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures assist management in comparing our performance on a consistent basis for purposes of business decision-making by removing the impact of certain items that management believes do not directly reflect our underlying operations. For additional information and reconciliations to the most closely comparable financial measures presented in our consolidated financial statements, which are calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, see Non-GAAP Financial Measures.
Consolidated Results of Operations
Summary of Results:
(in millions, except per share data) (in millions, except per share data)
Net Sales:
(in millions) (in millions)
(a) Organic Net Sales is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
FiscalYear 2024 Compared to Fiscal Year 2023:
Net sales decreased 3.0% to $25.8 billion in 2024 compared to $26.6 billion in 2023, including the unfavorable impacts of foreign currency (0.7 pp) and acquisitions and divestitures (0.2 pp). Organic Net Sales decreased 2.1% to $25.9 billion in 2024 compared to $26.5 billion in 2023, primarily due to the unfavorable volume/mix (3.5 pp), which more than offset higher pricing (1.4 pp). Pricing was higher in North America and Emerging Markets, and flat in International Developed Markets. Volume/mix in North America and International Developed Markets was unfavorable, while volume/mix in Emerging Markets was favorable.
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FiscalYear 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022:
Net sales increased 0.6% to $26.6 billion in 2023 compared to $26.5 billion in 2022, including the unfavorable impacts of lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (1.8 pp), foreign currency (0.9 pp), and acquisitions and divestitures (0.1 pp). Organic Net Sales increased 3.4% to $26.8 billion in 2023 compared to $25.9 billion in 2022, primarily driven by higher pricing (8.9 pp), which more than offset unfavorable volume/mix (5.5 pp). Pricing was higher in all segments. Volume/mix in North America and International Developed Markets was unfavorable, while volume/mix in Emerging Markets was favorable.
Net Income/(Loss):
(in millions) (in millions)
(a) Adjusted Operating Income is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
FiscalYear 2024 Compared to Fiscal Year 2023:
Operating income/(loss) decreased 63.2% to $1.7 billion in 2024 compared to $4.6 billion in 2023, due to non-cash impairment losses that were $3.0 billion higher in the current year period. The remaining change to operating income/(loss) was an increase of $118 million primarily driven by higher pricing, lower variable compensation expense, and lower procurement and logistics costs, due, in part, to the beneficial impact from our efficiency initiatives. These favorable impacts to operating income/(loss) were partially offset by unfavorable volume/mix, increased manufacturing expenses due to increased labor costs, and increased selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) due, in part, to investments in technology.
Net income/(loss) decreased 3.5% to $2.7 billion in 2024 compared to $2.8 billion in 2023. This decrease was due to unfavorable changes in operating income/(loss) factors discussed above, which more than offset a lower effective tax rate in the current period and the favorable changes in other expense/(income).
•Our effective tax rate was a benefit of 220.5% in 2024 compared to an expense of 21.7% in 2023. The year-over-year change in the effective tax rate was primarily driven by the recognition of a $3.0 billion non-U.S. deferred tax asset as a result of the movement of certain business operations to a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Netherlands and the geographic mix of pre-tax income in various non-U.S. jurisdictions. This benefit to our effective tax rate was partially offset by establishing a partial valuation allowance of $0.6 billion against the Netherlands deferred tax asset, establishing a full valuation allowance against Brazil net deferred tax assets, and non-deductible goodwill impairments.
•Other expense/(income) was $85 million of income in 2024 compared to $27 million of expense in 2023. This change was primarily driven by $197 million of favorable changes in net pension and postretirement non-service cost/(benefit), partially offset by an $81 million net loss on the sale of businesses in 2024.
Adjusted Operating Income increased 1.2% to $5.4 billion in 2024 compared to $5.3 billion in 2023, primarily driven by higher pricing, lower variable compensation expense, and lower procurement and logistics costs, due, in part, to the beneficial impact from our efficiency initiatives. These favorable impacts to Adjusted Operating Income were partially offset by unfavorable volume/mix, increased manufacturing expenses due to increased labor costs, increased SG&A due, in part, to investments in technology, and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency (0.4 pp).
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FiscalYear 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022:
Operating income/(loss) increased 25.8% to $4.6 billion in 2023 compared to $3.6 billion in 2022, primarily driven by higher pricing, the beneficial impact from our efficiency initiatives, lower non-cash impairment losses in the current year period ($251 million), and the impact of the securities class action lawsuit in the prior year period. These favorable impacts to operating income/(loss) were partially offset by higher commodity costs, including the impact of realized and unrealized gains and losses on commodity hedges, higher supply chain costs, reflecting inflationary pressure in manufacturing and procurement costs, unfavorable volume/mix, increased SG&A primarily for advertising expenses, and the decrease from lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period.
Net income/(loss) increased 20.2% to $2.8 billion in 2023 compared to $2.4 billion in 2022. This increase was driven by the operating income/(loss) factors discussed above and lower interest expense, which more than offset unfavorable changes in other expense/(income) and higher tax expense.
•Interest expense was $912 million in 2023 compared to $921 million in 2022.
•Our effective tax rate was 21.7% in 2023 compared to 20.2% in 2022. The year-over-year increase in the effective tax rate was due primarily to the decrease in deferred tax liabilities due to the merger of certain foreign entities and the revaluation of deferred tax balances due to changes in state tax laws in the prior year versus the current year.
•Other expense/(income) was $27 million of expense in 2023 compared to $253 million of income in 2022. This change was primarily driven by $202 million of unfavorable changes in net pension and postretirement non-service cost/(benefit) due, in part, to the settlement of one of our U.K. defined benefit pension plans, which resulted in pre-tax losses of $162 million in 2023. Further, additional changes in other expense/(income) were driven by $179 million of unfavorable changes in foreign exchange losses/(gains). These unfavorable impacts to other expense/(income) were partially offset by $109 million of favorable changes in derivative losses/(gains).
Adjusted Operating Income increased 6.2% to $5.3 billion in 2023 compared to $5.0 billion in 2022, primarily due to higher pricing and the beneficial impact from our efficiency initiatives, which more than offset higher commodity costs, including the impact of realized gains and losses on commodity hedges; higher supply chain costs, reflecting inflationary pressure in manufacturing, procurement, and logistics; unfavorable volume/mix; increased SG&A, primarily advertising expenses; the decrease from lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (2.2 pp); and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency (1.2 pp).
Diluted Earnings Per Share (“EPS”):
(in millions, except per share data) (in millions, except per share data)
(a) Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
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FiscalYear 2024 Compared to Fiscal Year 2023:
Diluted EPS decreased 2.2% to $2.26 in 2024 compared to $2.31 in 2023, primarily driven by the net income/(loss) factors discussed above and the favorable impact of our common stock repurchases.
Unrealized losses/(gains) on commodity hedges (0.01) — (0.01)
Losses/(gains) on sale of business 0.05 — 0.05
Nonmonetary currency devaluation 0.01 0.02 (0.01)
Certain significant discrete income tax items (1.84) (0.01) (1.83)
Key drivers of change in Adjusted EPS(a):
Results of operations $ 0.04
Effect of common stock repurchases(b): 0.04
Other expense/(income) 0.01
Effective tax rate (0.01)
(a) Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
(b) Includes the impact of the change in the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding, including dilutive effect, which is primarily due to shares purchased pursuant to our publicly announced share repurchase program. See Note 19, Earnings Per Share, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,for more information on our weighted average shares outstanding.
Adjusted EPS increased 2.7% to $3.06 in 2024 compared to $2.98 in 2023 primarily driven by higher Adjusted Operating Income, the favorable impact of our common stock repurchases, and favorable changes in other expense/(income), which more than offset higher taxes on adjusted earnings.
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FiscalYear 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022:
Diluted EPS increased 20.9% to $2.31 in 2023 compared to $1.91 in 2022, primarily driven by the net income/(loss) factors discussed above.
Unrealized losses/(gains) on commodity hedges — 0.04 (0.04)
Certain non-ordinary course legal and regulatory matters — 0.13 (0.13)
Losses/(gains) on sale of business — (0.01) 0.01
Other losses/(gains) related to acquisitions and divestitures — (0.02) 0.02
Nonmonetary currency devaluation 0.02 0.01 0.01
Debt prepayment and extinguishment (benefit)/costs — (0.03) 0.03
Certain significant discrete income tax items (0.01) — (0.01)
Key drivers of change in Adjusted EPS(a):
Results of operations $ 0.27
Interest expense 0.03
Other expense/(income) (0.03)
Effective tax rate (0.01)
(a) Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
Adjusted EPS increased 7.2% to $2.98 in 2023 compared to $2.78 in 2022, primarily driven by higher Adjusted Operating Income and lower interest expense, which more than offset the decrease from lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period, unfavorable changes in other expense/(income), and higher taxes on adjusted earnings.
Results of Operations by Segment
We manage our operating results through four operating segments. We have two reportable segments defined by geographic region: North America and International Developed Markets. Our remaining operating segments, consisting of WEEM and AEM, are combined and disclosed as Emerging Markets.
Management evaluates segment performance based on several factors, including net sales, Organic Net Sales, and Segment Adjusted Operating Income. In the first quarter of 2024, certain measures utilized by management to evaluate segment performance changed, including a change from Segment Adjusted EBITDA to Segment Adjusted Operating Income in order to drive a stronger connection to our long-term strategic plan. Segment Adjusted Operating Income is defined as operating income/(loss) excluding, when they occur, the impacts of restructuring activities, deal costs, unrealized gains/(losses) on commodity hedges (the unrealized gains and losses are recorded in general corporate expenses until realized; once realized, the gains and losses are recorded in the applicable segment’s operating results), impairment losses, and certain non-ordinary course legal and regulatory matters. Segment Adjusted Operating Income for Emerging Markets, which represents the aggregation of our WEEM and AEM operating segments, is defined and presented consistently with the Segment Adjusted Operating Income of our reportable segments — North America and International Developed Markets. Segment Adjusted Operating Income is a financial measure that can assist management and investors in comparing our performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of certain items that management believes do not directly reflect our underlying operations. Management also uses Segment Adjusted Operating Income to allocate resources. We have reflected this change from Segment Adjusted EBITDA to Segment Adjusted Operating Income in all historical periods presented.
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Under highly inflationary accounting, the financial statements of a subsidiary are remeasured into our reporting currency (U.S. dollars) based on the legally available exchange rate at which we expect to settle the underlying transactions. Exchange gains and losses from the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities are reflected in other expense/(income) on our consolidated statement of income, as nonmonetary currency devaluation, rather than accumulated other comprehensive income/(losses) on our consolidated balance sheet, until such time as the economy is no longer considered highly inflationary. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information. We apply highly inflationary accounting to the results of our subsidiaries in Venezuela, Argentina, Turkey, Egypt, and Nigeria, which are all in Emerging Markets.
Net Sales:
(in millions)
Net sales:
Organic Net Sales:
(in millions) (in millions)
Organic Net Sales(a):
(a) Organic Net Sales is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
Drivers of the changes in net sales and Organic Net Sales were:
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Adjusted Operating Income:
(in millions)
Segment Adjusted Operating Income:
Restructuring activities (27) (60) (74)
Deal costs — — (9)
Unrealized gains/(losses) on commodity hedges 19 (1) (63)
Certain non-ordinary course legal and regulatory matters — (2) (210)
Other expense/(income) (85) 27 (253)
North America:
(in millions) (in millions)
(a) Organic Net Sales is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
FiscalYear 2024 Compared to Fiscal Year 2023:
Net sales decreased 2.9% to $19.5 billion in 2024 compared to $20.1 billion in 2023, including the unfavorable impacts of foreign currency (0.1 pp). Organic Net Sales decreased 2.8% to $19.6 billion in 2024 compared to $20.1 billion in 2023, primarily due to unfavorable volume/mix (4.2 pp), which more than offset higher pricing (1.4 pp). Higher pricing was primarily driven by increases to mitigate higher input costs. Unfavorable volume/mix was primarily due to shifts in consumer behavior due to economic uncertainty, a decline in Lunchables, and a temporary plant closure.
Segment Adjusted Operating Income increased 1.2% to $5.1 billion in 2024 compared to $5.1 billion in 2023, primarily driven by higher pricing, lower procurement and logistics costs due, in part, to the beneficial impact from our efficiency initiatives, and lower variable compensation expense. These favorable impacts to Segment Adjusted Operating Income were partially offset by unfavorable volume/mix, increased manufacturing expenses due to increased labor cost, increased SG&A due, in part, to investments in technology, increased depreciation expense, and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency (0.1 pp).
FiscalYear 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022:
Net sales decreased 1.0% to $20.1 billion in 2023 compared to $20.3 billion in 2022, including the decrease from lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (1.7 pp) and the unfavorable impacts of foreign currency (0.3 pp). Organic Net Sales increased 1.0% to $20.2 billion in 2023 compared to $20.0 billion in 2022, driven by higher pricing (7.5 pp), which more than offset unfavorable volume/mix (6.5 pp). Higher pricing was primarily driven by increases to mitigate higher input costs, particularly in the first half of 2023. Unfavorable volume/mix was primarily due to elasticity impacts from pricing actions and due, in part, to the reduction of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits.
Segment Adjusted Operating Income increased 6.7% to $5.1 billion in 2023 compared to $4.7 billion in 2022, primarily due to higher pricing and the beneficial impact from our efficiency initiatives, which more than offset higher commodity costs, including the impact of realized gains and losses on commodity hedges; unfavorable volume/mix; increased manufacturing expenses; increased SG&A, primarily due to advertising expense; the decrease from lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (2.3 pp); and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency (0.3 pp).
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International Developed Markets:
(in millions) (in millions)
(a) Organic Net Sales is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
FiscalYear 2024 Compared to Fiscal Year 2023:
Net sales decreased 2.4% to $3.5 billion in 2024 compared to $3.6 billion in 2023, including the favorable impacts of foreign currency (0.4 pp). Organic Net Sales decreased 2.8% to $3.5 billion in 2024 compared to $3.6 billion in 2023, primarily due to unfavorable volume/mix (2.8 pp) while pricing remained flat. Unfavorable volume/mix was primarily due to a temporary pause in shipments as a result of a contract negotiation with certain customers in our Continental Europe region, and lower sales in New Zealand due to an inventory reduction by a regional customer.
Segment Adjusted Operating Income increased 3.0% to $0.5 billion in 2024 compared to $0.5 billion in 2023, primarily driven by lower procurement and logistics costs due, in part, to the beneficial impact from our efficiency initiatives, lapping the prior year business disruption caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in Australia and New Zealand, lower variable compensation expense, and the favorable impact of foreign currency (1.8 pp). These favorable impacts to Segment Adjusted Operating Income were partially offset unfavorable volume/mix and increased inflationary pressures in manufacturing expenses.
FiscalYear 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022:
Net sales increased 6.5% to $3.6 billion in 2023 compared to $3.4 billion in 2022, including the unfavorable impacts of lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (1.8 pp), acquisitions and divestitures (0.7 pp), and foreign currency (0.5 pp). Organic Net Sales increased 9.5% to $3.6 billion in 2023 compared to $3.3 billion in 2022 driven by higher pricing (15.6 pp), which more than offset unfavorable volume/mix (6.1 pp). Higher pricing included increases across markets primarily to mitigate higher input costs. Unfavorable volume/mix was primarily due to the elasticity impacts from pricing actions, particularly in our Northern Europe region.
Segment Adjusted Operating Income was flat year over year, at $522 million in both 2023 and 2022. Increases to Segment Adjusted Operating Income were primarily driven by higher pricing offset by higher supply chain costs, reflecting inflationary pressure in procurement, manufacturing, and logistics costs; unfavorable volume/mix; increased SG&A, primarily due to advertising expense; the unfavorable impact from a business disruption in Australia and New Zealand caused by Cyclone Gabrielle; the decrease from lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (1.5 pp); and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency (0.1 pp).
Emerging Markets:
(in millions) (in millions)
(a) Organic Net Sales is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section at the end of this item.
FiscalYear 2024 Compared to Fiscal Year 2023:
Net sales decreased 4.3% to $2.8 billion in 2024 compared to $2.9 billion in 2023, including the unfavorable impacts of foreign currency (6.2 pp) and acquisitions and divestitures (2.1 pp). Organic Net Sales increased 4.0% to $2.9 billion in 2024 compared to $2.7 billion in 2023, primarily driven by higher pricing (3.5 pp) and favorable volume/mix (0.5 pp). Higher pricing was taken primarily in our Eastern Europe and Middle East and Africa (“MEA”) regions to address higher input costs, which more than offset lower pricing in Brazil as a result of maintaining price gaps to competition. Favorable volume/mix within our Eastern Europe and MEA more than offset unfavorable volume/mix in Brazil and China.
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Segment Adjusted Operating Income decreased 14.7% to $0.3 billion in 2024 compared to $0.4 billion in 2023, primarily due to higher supply chain costs reflecting inflationary pressures in our Eastern Europe and LATAM regions, the unfavorable impact of foreign currency (6.1 pp), and increased SG&A as a result of our investments in our go-to-market strategy, primarily in LATAM. These unfavorable impacts to Segment Adjusted Operating Income more than offset higher pricing, favorable volume/mix, and lower variable compensation expense.
FiscalYear 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022:
Net sales increased 5.4% to $2.9 billion in 2023 compared to $2.7 billion in 2022, including the unfavorable impacts of foreign currency (6.6 pp), lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (1.7 pp), and acquisitions and divestitures (0.2 pp). Organic Net Sales increased 13.9% to $3.0 billion in 2023 compared to $2.6 billion in 2022, driven by higher pricing (10.9 pp) and favorable volume/mix (3.0 pp). Higher pricing included increases across markets primarily to mitigate higher input costs. Volume/mix was favorable in our Eastern European countries and LATAM region, partially offset by unfavorable volume/mix in our Asia region.
Segment Adjusted Operating Income increased 17.6% to $376 million in 2023 compared to $319 million in 2022, primarily driven by higher pricing and favorable volume/mix, partially offset by higher supply chain costs, reflecting inflationary pressure in LATAM and Eastern Europe regions; increased SG&A due, in part, to investments in advertising and research and development; the unfavorable impact of foreign currency (14.1 pp); increased depreciation expense; and the decrease from lapping a 53rd week of shipments in the prior period (2.7 pp).
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We believe that cash generated from our operating activities, commercial paper programs, and Senior Credit Facility will provide sufficient liquidity to meet our working capital needs, repayments of long-term debt, future contractual obligations, payment of our anticipated quarterly dividends, planned capital expenditures, restructuring expenditures, and contributions to our postemployment benefit plans for the next 12 months. An additional potential source of liquidity is access to capital markets. We intend to use our cash on hand and commercial paper programs for daily funding requirements.
Acquisitions and Divestitures:
In the first quarter of 2024, we consummated the Russia Infant Transaction for total cash consideration of approximately $25 million, and the Papua New Guinea Transaction for total cash consideration of approximately $22 million, which is to be paid incrementally over two years following the transaction closing date.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, we sold our business-to-business powdered cheese business to a third party, Kerry Group, for cash consideration of approximately $108 million (the “Powdered Cheese Transaction”).
In the second quarter of 2022, we acquired a majority of the outstanding equity interests of Companhia Hemmer Indústria e Comércio (“Hemmer”), a Brazilian food and beverage manufacturing company focused on the condiments and sauces category, from certain third-party shareholders (the “Hemmer Acquisition”) for cash consideration of approximately $279 million.
In the first quarter of 2022, we acquired 85% of the shares of Just Spices GmbH (“Just Spices”), a German-based company focused on direct-to-consumer sales of premium spice blends, from certain third-party shareholders (the “Just Spices Acquisition”) for cash consideration of approximately $243 million. In the third quarter of 2023, we completed the redemption of an additional 5% of the outstanding shares and in the second quarter of 2024, we completed the redemption of the remaining outstanding shares and wholly own Just Spices as of December 28, 2024.
See Note 4, Acquisitions and Divestitures, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our acquisitions and divestitures.
Cash Flow Activity for 2024 Compared to 2023:
Net Cash Provided by/Used for Operating Activities:
Net cash provided by operating activities was $4.2 billion for the year ended December 28, 2024 compared to $4.0 billion for the year ended December 30, 2023. This increase was primarily due to lapping the prior year cash payments associated with the settlement of the consolidated securities class action lawsuit and the current year conversion of certain plan assets related to the U.S. postretirement medical plan to cash, which were partially offset by higher cash outflows for variable compensation in the 2024 period compared to the 2023 period and increased cash taxes. See Note 15, Commitments and Contingencies, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our legal proceedings and See Note 11, Postemployment Benefits, in Item 8 for more additional information on our postemployment benefit plans activities.
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Net Cash Provided by/Used for Investing Activities:
Net cash used for investing activities was $1.0 billion for the year ended December 28, 2024 compared to net cash used for investing activities of $916 million for the year ended December 30, 2023. This change was primarily driven by our payments to acquire the TGI Friday License and increased capital expenditures. This was offset by proceeds from net investment hedge settlements. Our 2024 capital expenditures were primarily driven by maintenance projects, capital investments focused on generating growth, including capacity expansion, digital projects, and cost improvement projects, as well as capital investments in technology. We expect 2025 capital expenditures to be approximately $1.0 billion.
Net Cash Provided by/Used for Financing Activities:
Net cash used for financing activities was $3.0 billion for the year ended December 28, 2024 compared to $2.7 billion for the year ended December 30, 2023. This change was primarily due to increased common stock repurchases pursuant to our publicly announced share repurchase program, partially offset by reduced debt repayments in the current year period compared to the prior year.
Cash Flow Activity for 2023 Compared to 2022:
Net Cash Provided by/Used for Operating Activities:
Net cash provided by operating activities was $4.0 billion for the year ended December 30, 2023 compared to $2.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase was primarily driven by lower cash outflows in the current year for inventories, primarily related to stock rebuilding in the prior year, lower cash outflows in the current year for cash tax payments driven by cash taxes paid in 2022 related to the Cheese Transaction, higher Adjusted Operating Income in 2023, and lower interest payments in the current period due to the reduction of long-term debt throughout 2022. These impacts were partially offset by cash payments associated with the settlement of the consolidated securities class action lawsuit. See Note 15, Commitments and Contingencies, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our legal proceedings.
Net Cash Provided by/Used for Investing Activities:
Net cash used for investing activities was $916 million for the year ended December 30, 2023 compared to net cash used for investing activities of $1.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022. This change was primarily driven by payments for the Just Spices Acquisition and Hemmer Acquisition in 2022, partially offset by higher proceeds from the settlement of net investment hedges in the prior year period, proceeds from the Powdered Cheese Transaction in 2022, and higher capital expenditures in the current year period. We had 2023 capital expenditures of $1.0 billion compared to 2022 capital expenditures of $916 million.
Net Cash Provided by/Used for Financing Activities:
Net cash used for financing activities was $2.7 billion for the year ended December 30, 2023 compared to $3.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022. This change was primarily due to proceeds from the issuance of 600 million euro aggregate principal amount floating rate senior notes in 2023 and lower repayments of long-term debt in the current year period, partially offset by increased common stock repurchases primarily driven by our share repurchase program.
See Note 16, Debt, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our debt transactions and Note 18, Capital Stock, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our share repurchase program.
Cash Held by International Subsidiaries:
Of the $1.3 billion cash and cash equivalents on our consolidated balance sheet at December 28, 2024, $781 million was held by international subsidiaries.
Subsequent to January 1, 2018, we consider the unremitted earnings of certain international subsidiaries that impose local country taxes on dividends to be indefinitely reinvested. For those undistributed earnings considered to be indefinitely reinvested, our intent is to reinvest these funds in our international operations, and our current plans do not demonstrate a need to repatriate the accumulated earnings to fund our U.S. cash requirements. The amount of unrecognized deferred tax liabilities for local country withholding taxes that would be owed, if repatriated, related to our 2018 through 2024 accumulated earnings of certain international subsidiaries is approximately $80 million. Our undistributed historical earnings in foreign subsidiaries through December 31, 2017 are currently not considered to be indefinitely reinvested. Our deferred tax liability associated with these undistributed historical earnings was insignificant at December 28, 2024, December 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, and relates to local withholding taxes that will be owed when this cash is distributed.
Trade Payables Programs:
In order to manage our cash flow and related liquidity, we work with our suppliers to optimize our terms and conditions, which
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include the extension of payment terms. We maintain agreements with third-party administrators that allow participating suppliers to track payment obligations from us, and, at the sole discretion of the supplier, sell one or more of those payment obligations to participating financial institutions. Our obligations to our suppliers, including amounts due and scheduled payment terms, are not impacted. Our current payment terms with our suppliers, which we deem to be commercially reasonable, generally range from 0 to 250 days. All amounts due to participating suppliers are paid to the third party on the original invoice due dates, regardless of whether a particular invoice was sold. The amounts outstanding under these programs were $745 million at December 28, 2024 and $819 million at December 30, 2023. The amounts were included in trade payables on our consolidated balance sheets. See Note 14, Financing Arrangements, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our trade payables programs.
Borrowing Arrangements:
From time to time, we obtain funding through our commercial paper programs. We had no commercial paper outstanding at December 28, 2024, December 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022. We had no commercial paper outstanding during the year ended December 28, 2024, and the maximum amount of commercial paper outstanding was $150 million during the year ended December 30, 2023 and $198 million during the year ended December 31, 2022.
In July 2022, together with KHFC, our 100% owned operating subsidiary, we entered into a new credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), which provides for a five-year senior unsecured revolving credit facility in an aggregate amount of $4.0 billion (the “Senior Credit Facility”) and replaced our then-existing credit facility (the “Previous Senior Credit Facility”). On September 27, 2024, we entered into an agreement to extend the maturity date of our Senior Credit Facility from July 8, 2028 to July 8, 2029. Subject to certain conditions, we may increase the amount of revolving commitments and/or add tranches of term loans in a combined aggregate amount of up to $1.0 billion.
No amounts were drawn on our Senior Credit Facility at December 28, 2024, December 30, 2023, or December 31, 2022. No amounts were drawn on our Senior Credit Facility during the years ended December 28, 2024, December 30, 2023 or December 31, 2022, or on the Previous Senior Credit Facility during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Our credit agreement contains customary representations, warranties, and covenants that are typical for these types of facilities and could, upon the occurrence of certain events of default, restrict our ability to access our Senior Credit Facility. We were in compliance with all financial covenants as of December 28, 2024.
Long-Term Debt:
Our long-term debt, including the current portion, was $19.9 billion at December 28, 2024, $20.0 billion at December 30, 2023, and $20.1 billion at December 31, 2022. The decrease of debt in 2024 was primarily due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on our foreign-denominated debt, as well as the 550 million euro aggregate principle amount of senior notes that were repaid at maturity in May 2024, partially offset by the issuance of the 2024 Notes. The decrease of debt in 2023 was primarily due to the repayment of 750 million euro aggregate principal amount of senior notes due in June 2023, which more than offset the issuance of 600 million euro aggregate principal amount of floating rate senior notes issued in May 2023.
We may from time to time seek to retire or purchase our outstanding debt through redemptions, tender offers, cash purchases, prepayments, refinancing, exchange offers, open market or privately negotiated transactions, Rule 10b5-1 plans, or otherwise.
Our long-term debt contains customary representations, covenants, and events of default. We were in compliance with all financial covenants as of December 28, 2024.
See Note 16, Debt, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our long-term debt activity.
Equity and Dividends:
We paid dividends on our common stock of $1.9 billion in 2024, and $2.0 billion in 2023 and 2022. Additionally, in the first quarter of 2025, our Board declared a cash dividend of $0.40 per share of common stock, which is payable on March 28, 2025 to stockholders of record on March 7, 2025.
The declaration of dividends is subject to the discretion of our Board and depends on various factors, including our net income, financial condition, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors that our Board deems relevant to its analysis and decision making.
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On November 27, 2023, we announced that the Board approved a share repurchase program authorizing the Company to purchase up to $3.0 billion, exclusive of fees, of the Company’s common stock through December 26, 2026. We are not obligated to repurchase any specific number of shares and the program may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time. Under the program, shares may be repurchased in open market transactions, including under plans complying with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, privately negotiated transactions, transactions structured through investment banking institutions, or other means. As of December 28, 2024, we had remaining authorization under the share repurchase program of approximately $1.9 billion. The share repurchase program is in addition to our share repurchases to offset the dilutive effect of equity-based compensation.
Aggregate Contractual Obligations:
Related to our current and long-term material cash requirements, the following table summarizes our aggregate contractual obligations at December 28, 2024, which we expect to primarily fund with cash from operating activities (in millions):
Material Cash Requirements
(a) Amounts represent the expected cash payments of our long-term debt, including interest on variable and fixed rate long-term debt. Interest on variable rate long-term debt is calculated based on interest rates at December 28, 2024.
(b) Amounts represent the expected cash payments of our finance leases, including expected cash payments of interest expense.
(c) Operating leases represent the minimum rental commitments under non-cancellable operating leases net of sublease income.
(d) We have purchase obligations for materials, supplies, property, plant and equipment, and co-packing, storage, and distribution services based on projected needs to be utilized in the normal course of business. Other purchase obligations include commitments for marketing, advertising, capital expenditures, information technology, and professional services. Arrangements are considered purchase obligations if a contract specifies all significant terms, including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased, a pricing structure, and approximate timing of the transaction. Several of these obligations are long-term and are based on minimum purchase requirements. Certain purchase obligations contain variable pricing components, and, as a result, actual cash payments are expected to fluctuate based on changes in these variable components. Due to the proprietary nature of some of our materials and processes, certain supply contracts contain penalty provisions for early terminations. We do not believe that a material amount of penalties is reasonably likely to be incurred under these contracts based upon historical experience and current expectations.
(e) Other long-term liabilities primarily consist of estimated payments for the one-time toll charge related to 2017 U.S. tax reform, as well as postretirement benefit commitments. Certain other long-term liabilities related to income taxes, insurance accruals, and other accruals included on the consolidated balance sheet are excluded from the above table as we are unable to estimate the timing of payments for these items.
Pension plan contributions were $7 million in 2024. We estimate that 2025 pension plan contributions will be approximately $6 million. Postretirement benefit plan contributions were $11 million in 2024. We estimate that 2025 postretirement benefit plan contributions will be approximately $11 million. During the fourth quarter of 2024, we amended our U.S. postretirement medical plan to establish a sub-trust to permit the payment of certain postretirement benefit plan contributions for active union employees using $150 million of the retiree plan surplus. See Note 11, Postemployment Benefits, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information on our pension and postretirement plans.
Estimated future contributions take into consideration current economic conditions, which at this time are expected to have minimal impact on expected contributions for 2025. Beyond 2025, we are unable to reliably estimate the timing of contributions to our pension or postretirement plans. Our actual contributions and plans may change due to many factors, including changes in tax, employee benefit, or other laws and regulations, tax deductibility, significant differences between expected and actual pension or postretirement asset performance or interest rates, or other factors. As such, estimated pension and postretirement plan contributions for 2025 have been excluded from the above table.
At December 28, 2024, the amount of net unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions, including an accrual of related interest and penalties along with positions only impacting the timing of tax benefits, was approximately $481 million. The timing of payments will depend on the progress of examinations with tax authorities. We are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate as to if or when any significant cash settlements with taxing authorities may occur; therefore, we have excluded the amount of net unrecognized tax benefits from the above table.
Supplemental Guarantor Information:
The Kraft Heinz Company (as the “Parent Guarantor”) fully and unconditionally guarantees all the senior unsecured registered notes (collectively, the “KHFC Senior Notes”) issued by KHFC, our 100% owned operating subsidiary (the “Guarantee”). See Note 16, Debt, in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional descriptions of these guarantees.
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The payment of the principal, premium, and interest on the KHFC Senior Notes is fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by the Parent Guarantor, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the applicable indenture. None of the Parent Guarantor’s subsidiaries guarantee the KHFC Senior Notes.
The Guarantee is the Parent Guarantor’s senior unsecured obligation and is: (i) pari passu in right of payment with all of the Parent Guarantor’s existing and future senior indebtedness; (ii) senior in right of payment to all of the Parent Guarantor’s future subordinated indebtedness; (iii) effectively subordinated to all of the Parent Guarantor’s existing and future secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets secured by that indebtedness; and (iv) effectively subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of the Parent Guarantor’s subsidiaries.