Del Monte, the 139-year-old canned fruits and vegetables company, seeks bankruptcy protection

Key Points

• Del Monte Foods, the 139-year-old canned fruits and vegetables company, filed for bankruptcy protection as consumers increasingly favor healthier or cheaper alternatives over its canned products.
• The company secured $912.5 million in debtor-in-possession financing to maintain operations during a court-supervised sale process aimed at accelerating its turnaround.
• Rising costs from grocery inflation and a 50% steel tariff, along with shifting consumer preferences toward less processed foods, weakened Del Monte’s core canned business despite growth in brands like Joyba bubble tea and Kitchen Basics broth.
• The filing is part of a planned asset sale, following last year’s settlement of a lenders’ lawsuit that increased Del Monte’s interest expenses by $4 million annually.

Del Monte Foods, the 139-year-old company best known for its canned fruits and vegetables, is filing for bankruptcy protection as U.S. consumers increasingly bypass its products for healthier or cheaper options.

Del Monte has secured $912.5 million in debtor-in-possession financing that will allow it to operate normally as the sale progresses.

“After a thorough evaluation of all available options, we determined a court-supervised sale process is the most effective way to accelerate our turnaround and create a stronger and enduring Del Monte Foods,” CEO Greg Longstreet said in a statement.

Del Monte Foods, based in Walnut Creek, California, also owns the Contadina tomato brand, College Inn and Kitchen Basics broth brands and the Joyba bubble tea brand.

The company has seen sales growth of Joyba and broth in fiscal 2024, but not enough to offset weaker sales of Del Monte's signature canned products.

“Consumer preferences have shifted away from preservative-laden canned food in favor of healthier alternatives,” said Sarah Foss, global head of legal and restructuring at Debtwire, a financial consultancy.

Grocery inflation also caused consumers to seek out cheaper store brands. And President Donald Trump’s 50% tariff on imported steel, which went into effect in June, will also push up the prices Del Monte and others must pay for cans.

Del Monte Foods, which is owned by Singapore's Del Monte Pacific, was also hit with a lawsuit last year by a group of lenders that objected to the company’s debt restructuring plan. The case was settled in May with a loan that increased Del Monte’s interest expenses by $4 million annually, according to a company statement.

Del Monte said late Tuesday that the bankruptcy filing is part of a planned sale of company’s assets.