Hostess, maker of the Twinkie, announced it would be going out of business on Friday.
The 82-year-old company has filed for bankruptcy twice in the last decade due to the fight a slowly dying snack industry with Americans becoming increasingly more health-conscious.
Thousands of workers went on strike in September after rejecting a proposal that would slash wages and increase health-care costs. Over the last week union members began protesting at Hostess plants.
The company was ultimately forced to liquidate when an insufficient number of workers showed up November 15.
“We do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” said chief executive officer Gregory F. Rayburn in a statement on Hostess’s corporate website. “Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce.”
The news of Hostess’s liquidation saddened Barons, especially Twinkie fan Harrison Nguyen (’14). “Twinkies will forever hold a special place in my heart and gut,” he said.
Hostess’s announcing bankruptcy prompted thousands of Twinkie-themed products to go on sale on eBay, as well as junk food lovers to stock up on the company’s various snacks.
The Twinkie, Hostess’s most popular product, has served as an American cultural icon. “I’m sad that Hostess is going out of business,” said Justine Bui (’14). “It’s something that we and our parents have grown up with and has become ingrained in social consciousness.”
By Jackie Liu
