Newman’s Own. Anyone notice changes lately?

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I’ve been a fan of this brand for some time. Good tasting products reasonably priced. In particular i enjoyed their uncured pepperoni a year ago. For a frozen pizza it was not bad at all. This past spring when I was stateside I purchased a few of these for quick meals. Sadly they were not the same, not even close.

Now, I have tried several items over the years. Lately we got some salsa on sale and it is nothing like it used to be. I’m starting to wonder if cost cutting has affected quality and taste. So many brands either do this or sell out to the mega corp and are never the same again.

Anyone else notice this if your are a Newman’s Own brand user?
 
Just bought a jar of their pasta sauce, Garlic and Garden Peppers yesterday. Only $2 a jar at a local store. I was expecting something much better in taste, it was average and I was a little disappointed by it. So I know what you mean. Also seemed fairly salty. I like Mids much better.
 
I thought the quality of Newman's Own products dropped off a few years after his passing, and quit buying them at that time. Honestly, I didn't even know they were still on the market.

When Paul was alive, the entire purpose of the Newman's Own product line was to provide income for charitable causes. I always thought that was pretty cool, and I got some nice products at the same time. His salad dressings is what I remember most. But only two or three years after he died, I started noticing that the products weren't tasting as good as they had. I got the impression that whoever was now in charge of Newman's Own was now in it for the profit, and a quality product wasn't any longer a priority.
 
Originally Posted By: BHopkins
I got the impression that whoever was now in charge of Newman's Own was now in it for the profit, and a quality product wasn't any longer a priority.


Looking at their website it still says 100% profits to charity. Of course that could mean different things to different people. Doesn't explain a decrease in quality.

Quote:
In 1982, Paul Newman created Newman's Own, a premium quality food and beverage company, based on 2 principles: "Quality will always trump the bottom line" and "100% of the profits will go to charity." Paul felt he had been lucky in life and sharing one's good fortune with others was "just the right thing to do."

As the sole owner of Newman's Own, Paul donated over $245 million of the net profits and royalties he received to thousands of charities. Today, the "100% of profits to charity" commitment is continued by Newman's Own Foundation, which succeeded Paul as sole owner.

To learn more about Newman's Own Foundation, its grantees and how "100% of profits to charity" works, visit: NEWMANSOWNFOUNDATION.ORG.
 
From WP: "On the death of founder Paul Newman in 2008, control of the Newman's Own company and foundation passed to Robert Forrester. This change has been the subject of controversy. One of Newman's children, Susan Newman, has alleged that Forrester has taken her family "hostage" and pushed them off the board of the foundation. Forrester claims that operations of the company and foundation are in accordance with Paul Newman's expressed wishes.[10] Forrester's salary increased from $185,000 to $295,000 from 2010 to 2013."

Say what you will but I bet this coincided with the change.
 
It's turning into junk...stuff used to be good...

As for the profit thing-I've heard that it has dropped off and will be ending soon, as it sounds like they are getting ready to sell the brand....
 
People don’t realize a non-profit can actually make a huge profit. There was a local one a while back paying its board and chairman over a million dollars altogether. The story got out and he quit. They’re still around, but with a huge pay cut.
 
Sounds pretty likely that this Forrester guy took advantage of Newman when he was near death and not quite in his right mind and screwed Paul's family over for his own benefit.
Old story that we will hear many times in the future...
 
Originally Posted By: Crispysea
People don’t realize a non-profit can actually make a huge profit. There was a local one a while back paying its board and chairman over a million dollars altogether. The story got out and he quit. They’re still around, but with a huge pay cut.


Not-for-profit = tax-exempt.

The IRS doesn't look very kindly about excessive compensation of the Board or the management for these type of companies. Most of them just barely scrape by (with underpaid management and staff and the Board members working free and contributing donations). But some large ones, like healthcare companies, do make a lot of money. So the management and the Board are well compensated.

Most of the profits get reinvested in the business since there are no shareholders to distribute the monies to. Some go to address community needs.
 
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