Postretirement Plans

6 Months Ended

Jul. 13, 2024

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Postretirement Plans

18. POSTRETIREMENT PLANS

The following summarizes the company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets related pension and other postretirement benefit plan accounts at July 13, 2024 compared to accounts at December 30, 2023 (amounts in thousands):

	July 13, 2024			December 30, 2023
Noncurrent benefit asset	$	6,379		$	6,494
Current benefit liability	$	699		$	699
Noncurrent benefit liability	$	5,567		$	5,798
AOCI, net of tax	$	(469	)	$	(342	)

Defined Benefit Plans and Nonqualified Plan

The company sponsors two pension plans, the Flowers Foods, Inc. Retirement Plan No. 2, and the Tasty Baking Company Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“Tasty SERP”). The Tasty SERP is frozen and has only retirees and beneficiaries remaining in the plan.

The company used a measurement date of December 31, 2023 for the defined benefit and postretirement benefit plans described below.

There were no contributions made by the company to any plan during the twenty-eight weeks ended July 13, 2024 and July 15, 2023.

The net periodic pension cost for the company’s plans include the following components (amounts in thousands):

	For the Twelve Weeks Ended						For the Twenty-Eight Weeks Ended
	July 13, 2024			July 15, 2023			July 13, 2024			July 15, 2023
Service cost	$	168		$	157		$	392		$	367
Interest cost		272			301			634			702
Expected return on plan assets		(370	)		(360	)		(864	)		(840	)
Amortization of prior service cost		13			13			31			31
Amortization of net loss		10			40			23			93
Total net periodic pension cost	$	93		$	151		$	216		$	353

The components of total net periodic benefit cost other than the service cost are included in the other components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit plans credit line item on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.

Postretirement Benefit Plan

The company provides certain health care and life insurance benefits for eligible retired employees covered under the active medical plans. The plan incorporates an up-front deductible, coinsurance payments and retiree contributions at various premium levels. Eligibility and maximum period of coverage is based on age and length of service.

The net periodic postretirement expense for the company includes the following components (amounts in thousands):

	For the Twelve Weeks Ended						For the Twenty-Eight Weeks Ended
	July 13, 2024			July 15, 2023			July 13, 2024			July 15, 2023
Service cost	$	42		$	41		$	98		$	96
Interest cost		53			55			123			128
Amortization of prior service credit		(54	)		(54	)		(126	)		(126	)
Amortization of net gain		(42	)		(57	)		(97	)		(133	)
Total net periodic postretirement credit	$	(1	)	$	(15	)	$	(2	)	$	(35	)

The components of total net periodic postretirement benefits credit other than the service cost are included in the other components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit plans credit line item on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan

The Flowers Foods, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan covers substantially all the company’s employees who have completed certain service requirements. The total cost and employer contributions were as follows (amounts in thousands):

	For the Twelve Weeks Ended				For the Twenty-Eight Weeks Ended
	July 13, 2024		July 15, 2023		July 13, 2024		July 15, 2023
Total cost and employer contributions	$	7,597	$	7,094	$	18,117	$	17,069

Multi-employer Pension Plan

On July 19, 2022, the company announced the closure of the Holsum Bakery in Phoenix, Arizona. The bakery produced bread and bun products and ceased production on October 31, 2022. As a result, the union participants of the IAM National Pension Fund (the “IAM Fund”) at the Phoenix bakery will withdraw from the IAM Fund. During the third quarter of Fiscal 2022, the company recorded a liability of $1.3 million for the withdrawal from the IAM Fund. During the first quarter of Fiscal 2024, the company paid $1.4 million for the withdrawal and recorded additional expense of $0.1 million which is included in the selling, distribution and administrative expenses line item of our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. While this is our best estimate of the ultimate cost of the withdrawal from this plan, additional withdrawal liability may be incurred in the event of a mass withdrawal, as defined by statute, occurring anytime within the next three years following our complete withdrawal.