Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen foods, of Great Yarmouth.
Late 1920s, the Frosted Foods Co, a subsidiary of General Foods Corporation, established a quick-frozen foods business in the USA, using the freezing technology of Clarence Birdseye, marketed under the brand Birds Eye.
1938 Frosted Foods Co Ltd was formed in the UK, wholly owned by its US parent and the MD; acquired the patent rights for the British Empire of the freezing technology. Birds Eye Foods Ltd was incorporated with shareholders being Frosted Foods Co Ltd, Chivers and Sons, Inveresk Paper Co and Mr J M Schiff.
1943 Unilever became the major shareholder
1944 The other shareholders (Chivers and Sons, Inveresk Paper Co and Mr J M Schiff) were bought out by Frosted Foods Co Ltd.
1945 Commenced the freezing of mackerel at Great Yarmouth
Batchelors Peas and Poulton and Noel, both part of Unilever began freezing products for Birds Eye
1949 Opened another factory in Lowestoft
1950 Opened another factory at Kirkby
1957 Acquired the facilities of Smethursts (Grimsby)
1959 Acquired the factory of Times Food Products Co
1959 One of 7 British firms distributing frozen food nationally[1]
1965 Acquired a majority stake in North-Eastern Fish Industries
1981 Unilever merged T. Wall and Son (Ice Cream) Ltd with Birds Eye Foods to form Birds Eye Wall's Ltd. Following a review of production facilities, the Gloucester factory was expanded and updated, and the Acton factory was closed ("Project Phoenix" 1983).
2003 Birds Eye Wall's was renamed Unilever Ice Cream and Frozen Food Ltd
2006 Renamed Birds Eye Ltd
2009 Birds Eye was acquired by Pinnacle Foods
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times Sept. 25, 1959
- [1] Competition Commission