Bridgford Foods Corp | Investor Service

2003 Annual Report

Although the Company has recently introduced several new products, most of these products have not contributed significantly to the Company’s revenue growth for the fiscal year. The Company’s sales are not subject to material seasonal variations. Historically the Company has been able to respond quickly to the receipt of orders and, accordingly, the Company does not maintain a significant sales backlog. The Company and its industry generally have no unusual demands or restrictions on working capital items. During the last fiscal year the Company did not enter into any new markets or any significant contractual or other material relationships.

The Company has two classes of similar food products, each of which has accounted for 10% or more of consolidated sales in the prior three fiscal years listed below. The following table shows sales, as a percentage of consolidated sales, for each of these two classes of similar products for each of the last three fiscal years:

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Frozen Food Products

 

39

%

38

%

36

%

Refrigerated and Snack Food Products

 

61

%

62

%

64

%

 

 

100

%

100

%

100

%

To date, federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those relating to the discharge of materials into the environment, have not had a material effect on the Company’s business.

Availability of SEC Filings and Code of Conduct on Internet Website

The Company maintains an Internet website at http://www.bridgford.com.  Available on this website, free of charge, are annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q which the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company’s Code of Conduct is also available on the website.

Major Product Classes

Frozen Food Products

The Company’s frozen food division serves both food service and retail customers. The Company sells approximately 200 unique frozen food products through wholesalers, cooperatives and distributors to approximately 21,000 retail outlets and 22,000 restaurants and institutions.

Frozen Food Products – Food Service Customers

The food service industry is composed of establishments that serve food outside the home and includes restaurants, the food operations of health care providers, schools, hotels, resorts, corporations, and other traditional and non-traditional food service outlets. Growth in this industry has been driven by the increase in away-from-home meal preparation, which has accompanied the expanding number of both dual income and single-parent households. Another trend within the food service industry is the growth in the number of non-traditional food service outlets such as convenience stores, retail stores and supermarkets. These non-traditional locations often lack extensive cooking, storage or preparation facilities, resulting in a need for pre-cooked and prepared foods similar to those provided by the Company. The expansion in the food service industry has also been accompanied by the continued consolidation and growth of broadline and specialty food service distributors, many of which are long-standing customers of the Company.

The Company supplies its food service customers generally through distributors that take title to the product and resell it. Among the Company’s customers are many of the country’s largest broadline and specialty food service distributors. For these and other large end purchasers, the Company’s products occasionally go through extensive qualification procedures and its manufacturing capabilities are subjected to thorough review by the end purchasers prior to the Company’s approval as a vendor. Large end purchasers typically select suppliers that can consistently meet increased volume requirements on a national basis during peak promotional periods. The Company believes that its manufacturing flexibility, national presence and long-standing customer relationships should allow us to compete effectively with other manufacturers seeking to provide similar products to the Company’s current large food service end purchasers, although no assurances can be given.