Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2022

Loss Contingency [Abstract]

Contingencies

Note 15: Contingencies

We, like other food manufacturers, are from time to time subject to various administrative, regulatory, and other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We are currently a defendant in a variety of such legal proceedings, including certain lawsuits related to the alleged price-fixing of shelf stable tuna products prior to 2011 by a business previously owned by, but divested prior to our acquisition of, Big Heart, the significant majority of which were settled and paid during 2019 and 2020. While we cannot predict with certainty the ultimate results of these proceedings or potential settlements associated with these or other matters, we have accrued losses for certain contingent liabilities that we have determined are probable and reasonably estimable at April 30, 2022. Based on the information known to date, with the exception of the matters discussed below, we do not believe the final outcome of these proceedings would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In addition to the legal proceedings discussed above, we are currently a defendant in CERT v. Brad Barry LLC, et al., which alleges that we, in addition to the other Defendants who manufacture, package, distribute, or sell packaged coffee, failed to provide warnings for our coffee products of exposure to the chemical acrylamide as required under Proposition 65. CERT sought equitable relief, including warnings to consumers, as well as civil penalties in the amount of the statutory maximum of $2,500 per day per violation of Proposition 65. In addition, CERT asserted that every consumed cup of coffee, absent a compliant warning, was equivalent to a violation under Proposition 65. In June 2019, the state agency responsible for administering the Proposition 65 program, OEHHA, approved a regulation clarifying that cancer warnings are not required for coffee under Proposition 65, and in August 2020, the trial court granted the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment based on the regulation. CERT appealed the ruling in November 2020 to the California Court of Appeals for the Second Appellate District, which is currently pending.

We are also defendants in a series of putative class action lawsuits that were originally filed in federal courts in California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Texas, Washington, and Washington D.C. but have been transferred to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri for coordinated pre-trial proceedings. The plaintiffs assert claims arising under various state laws for false advertising, consumer protection, deceptive and unfair trade practices, and similar statutes. Their claims are premised on allegations that we have misrepresented the number of servings that can be made from various canisters of Folgers coffee on the packaging for those products.

The outcome and the financial impact of these cases, if any, cannot be predicted at this time. Accordingly, no loss contingency has been recorded for these matters as of April 30, 2022, and the likelihood of loss is not considered probable or estimable. However, if we are required to pay significant damages, our business and financial results could be adversely impacted, and sales of those products could suffer not only in these locations but elsewhere.

Product Recall: Subsequent to April 30, 2022, we initiated a voluntary recall of select Jif peanut butter products produced at our Lexington, Kentucky, facility and sold primarily in the U.S., due to potential salmonella contamination. At that time, we also suspended the manufacturing of Jif peanut butter products at the Lexington facility. No other products produced at our other facilities were affected by this recall. As a result, and in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we recorded reserves of $52.3 in our consolidated financial statements as of April 30, 2022, within our U.S. Retail Consumer Foods segment, which was inclusive of unsaleable inventory as of April 30, 2022, as well as estimated customer returns and consumer refunds related to net sales in 2022. We anticipate these costs will be recovered by insurance, and as a result, an insurance receivable of $49.8, net of the deductible, was also recorded as of April 30, 2022.

On June 10, 2022, we announced our plans to resume manufacturing Jif peanut butter products at our Lexington facility. Further, our Memphis, Tennessee, facility was not affected by the recall and has continued to manufacture Jif peanut butter products. However, we temporarily paused shipments from the Memphis facility to eliminate confusion while customers cleared their shelves of potentially impacted products manufactured at the Lexington facility. We will resume shipping from both the Lexington and Memphis facilities and are partnering with retailers to restock Jif peanut butter products as soon as possible. Based on progress to date, we believe this matter will be substantially resolved during the first quarter of 2023. Based on our best estimates, we anticipate an unfavorable pre-tax impact of approximately $125.0 in 2023, net of the remaining anticipated insurance recoveries, primarily related to the estimated impact of manufacturing downtime, customer returns and penalties, and unsaleable inventory, as well as other recall related costs. The recall will primarily impact our U.S. Retail Consumer Foods segment. Our ultimate loss from the Jif peanut butter recall could differ materially from these estimates, primarily dependent upon the magnitude of lost sales resulting from the unavailability of products for a longer period of time than anticipated, as well as any resulting adverse consumer reaction, including the loss of perceived value and any shift in consumer preferences.