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Food Companies’ Bonds Could Get Junkier

June 19th, 2008 @ 3:05 pm

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Tags: Dean Foods Co., Pilgrim's Pride Corp., Tyson Foods Inc., Food, S&P, Bond, Food & Beverage, Financial Accounting, Manufacturing, Finance

It’s too early to call it a “food recession” – too many companies are still doing too well for that – but Standard & Poor’s move to put several food producers on “CreditWatch negative” isn’t a good sign.

Fred SanfordThe credit-ratings agency on Thursday said downgrades could be on the way for dairy company Dean Foods, poultry producer Pilgrim’s Pride, and meat producer Tyson Foods.

Dean and Pilgrim’s Pride currently have “BB-” ratings on their bonds. Those could be cut to “BBB-,” the current status of Tyson’s bonds, which are junk already. And Tyson’s could be made even junkier than that.

S&P said rising commodity costs could go even higher thanks to recent floods in the Midwest, which damaged corn crops, put some processing plants out of commission, and disrupted shipping.

“Our review will focus on the extent of the damage to crops, the pressure this will create for further record grain prices and the resulting effect that will have on dairy farmers, dairy cattle supply and milk prices and the company’s ability to quickly pass these higher costs to its customers,” S&P said in a statement.

Dan Mitchell has spent the past 20 years writing and editing for outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, National Public Radio, Business 2.0, and Wired.

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Dan Mitchell

Dan Mitchell has spent the past 20 years writing and editing for newspapers, magazines, and Web publications. Currently, he writes the What's Online column for the Saturday business section of the New York Times. He has also written for the Chicago Tribune, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, National Public Radio, Business 2.0, and Wired. more »

AboutFood Industry

BNET Food provides daily industry news coverage and insights for managers and executives, focusing on the major companies in the food and beverage sector, from manufacturers to retailers. In addition to detailed company profiles, we bring you critical analysis on new alliances and partnerships, new products, mergers and acquisitions, labor and cost management, investments and deal flow, and a host of other important business issues.

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