Birds Eye Foods history

His son Ed joined the family business in 1925, and the company's name was changed to C.F Burns and Son, Inc.

In 1927 the Burns's plant was re-equipped to process applesauce.

His company produced 1.7 million pounds of frozen fish in 1928, more than it could distribute.

In June 1929, a venture between the Postum Company and Goldman-Sachs Trading Corporation bought General Seafood for $22 million, renaming it General Foods Corporation.

Another future industry leader, Seabrook Farms in southern New Jersey, began packing frozen lima beans in 1931 using equipment obtained from Birds Eye.

Macy's installed a freezer at its New York store in 1940, according to Quick Frozen Foods; it sold a short-lived, second line from Birds Eye called "Coldseal."

1943: British Birds Eye operations are sold to Unilever.

Around 1945, the first Birds Eye factory in Europe was established at Yarmouth, in southern England.

In 1949 the first vegetables are specially grown and processed in NSW for sale under the Birds Eye brand.

European sales were about $3 million in 1951, when the business turned a profit of about $300,000.

Since Clarence Birdseye created the humble fish finger in 1955, it has become one of the nation’s best-loved and most-consumed teatime treats.

In 1956 Birds Eye introduces the Fish Finger as an ideal way to encourage Australian children to eat more fish.

A large agricultural cooperative, Cooperative Grange League Federation Inc. (GLF) of Ithaca, New York, was recruited in early 1959 to seek ways to establish a joint venture of farmers and processors involving the three companies.

1960: The Pro-Fac Cooperative is formed.

1961: Curtice-Burns is formed.

Two years later, in September 1965, Curtice-Burns purchased the canned sauerkraut maker Empire State Pickling Company, based in Phelps, New York, adding the well-known Silver Floss label.

Curtice-Burns's next big acquisition came in June 1972 with the purchase of Pennsylvania-based Snyder's Potato Chips.

In July 1975, Curtice-Burns moved west by purchasing Nalley's Fine Foods, based in Tacoma, Washington.

In 1976 the company acquired Nalley's Canada Ltd., based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Company sales in 1980 totaled $357.6 million, compared with $303.7 million posted a year earlier.

In February 1984 Curtice-Burns purchased the 7-Up Bottling Company of Binghamton Inc. from a private concern for $1.15 million.

Due to a variety of factors, mainly competitive, Curtice-Burns exited the branded soft drinks market in 1988 when it sold its National Brands Beverage business to 11 separate bottlers.

Sales in 1991 remained stagnant at $933 million, compared with $926.8 million a year earlier.

Kraft General Foods sold Birds Eye to Dean Foods Company in 1993 for about $140 million.

In February 1994 Curtice-Burns sold its meat snacks business for $5 million, and the following year the company sold Nalley Canada Ltd. and the snack food line of its Nalley's Fine Foods division.

In July 1995 Michigan-based food processor Packer Foods was acquired for $5.4 million and was merged into Comstock Michigan Fruit.

In mid-1996 Curtice-Burns bought Matthews Candy Co., which was placed in the Snack Foods Group.

1997: Curtice-Burns is renamed Agrilink Foods.

Agrilink reorganized under a one-company structure in July 1999.

The Birds Eye brand was extended further into the prepared foods category with the October 2002 test market of a new line of single-serving, microwaveable frozen soups called Hearty Spoonfuls.

Birds Eye divested a few other lines of business in 2003: Veg-All, sold to Arkansas-based Allen Canning Company in July; popcorn, sold to Gilster-Mary Lee; and applesauce, sold to Knouse Foods.

Net income rose 53 percent to $31.9 million in fiscal 2004; sales were $843.4 million, down 2.3 percent.

The 2017 panel of judges consisted of: – Television personality, Gregg Wallace – Food Urchin culinary blogger, Danny Kingston – Daily Telegraph food writer, Xanthe Clay – Birds Eye head chef, Peter Lack The winning sandwich will be appearing on our Birds Eye fish finger packaging.