Pinnacle Foods

Pinnacle Foods, Inc. is a packaged foods company, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, that specializes in the shelf stable and frozen food categories.

The company was founded in 1998 as Vlasic Foods International, acquiring the Swanson TV dinners, Open Pit and Vlasic Pickles brands from the Campbell Soup Company. In March 2004, it acquired Aurora Foods, based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2009, Pinnacle Foods acquired Birds Eye Foods, Inc.

History

Aurora Foods was founded by Ian Wilson, a former executive with Coca-Cola and Dole, in 1995. Wilson used the company to purchase the Van de Kamp seafood brand from Pillsbury and several other brands as the years progressed. These brands were in many cases market leaders, but the parent companies no longer considered them a part of their core marketing strategy, and refused to spend any more money on new marketing and development.

In 2001, Wilson and other Aurora executives pleaded guilty to securities fraud for misrepresenting the company's financial statements. Wilson was sentenced to 33 months in prison and was fined US$1 million.