Nabisco logo

Nabisco is a U.S.-based manufacturer of cookies and snacks, including brands such as Chips Ahoy , Fig Newtons, Mallomars, Oreos, Ritz Crackers, Teddy Grahams, Triscuits, and Wheat Thins .

Headquartered in suburban East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Kraft Foods North America, which is in turn owned by Altria Group, Inc.

Merger history

Nabisco dates its founding back to the 1890s, a decade during which the bakery business underwent a major consolidation. Early in the decade, bakeries throughout the country were consolidated regionally, into companies such as Chicago's American Biscuit and Manufacturing Company (which was formed from 40 Midwestern bakeries in 1830), the New York Biscuit Company (consisting of seven eastern bakeries), and the United States Baking Company. In 1898, the National Biscuit Company was formed from the combination of those three; the merger resulted in a company with 114 bakeries across the United States and headquartered in New York City. The "biscuit" in the name of the company is a British English and early American English term for cracker products.

The first use of "Nabisco" was in a cracker brand first produced by National Biscuit Company in 1901. The first use of the red triangular logo was in 1952. The name of the company was not changed to Nabisco until 1971; prior to that year, the company was often referred to as N.B.C. (unrelated to the television network; even though the logo could be said to resemble an antenna, this seems to be a coincidence).

N.B.C. acquired the Shredded Wheat Company (maker of Triscuit and Shredded Wheat cereal) and Christie, Brown & Company of Toronto in 1928. N.B.C. acquired F.H. Bennett Company (maker of Milk-Bone dog biscuits) in 1931.

In 1981 Nabisco merged with Standard Brands, maker of Planters Nuts and separately acquires LifeSavers Candies.

In 1985 Nabisco was bought by R.J. Reynolds.

In 2000 Philip Morris Companies acquires Nabisco; that acquisition was approved by the Federal Trade Commission subject to the divestiture of products in five areas: three Jell-O and Royal brands types of products (dry-mix gelatin dessert, dry-mix pudding, no-bake desserts), intense mints (such as Altoids), and baking powder.

External links

• NabiscoWorld
• Adolphus Green, first head of N.B.C. from Kraft Foods website
• Story of Nabisco from the Kraft Canada website
• FTC summary of competitive concerns about the 2000 acquisition of Nabisco