For years the Twinkie, Ding Dongs, Suzi-Qs, and Ho-hos have been ridiculed by thousands for their lack of nutrition. But did anyone ever want to get rid of them entirely? Of course not.

However, that’s what appears to have happened to the nation’s good old guilty-pleasure snacks. Hostess Brands announced Friday, November 16, that it was officially going out of business, after weeks of rumblings of bankruptcy. The company, which has been having trouble catering to a more health-conscious market in recent years, filed for bankruptcy for the second time since 2004.

Hostess has been facing major debt, coupled with rising costs of labor and ingredients. After talks with the various unions that make up its work force, the company told its workers that any strikes would result in the liquidation of the company and the loss of 18,500 jobs. However, when mediation between the company and its unions broke down, the workers went on strike, forcing the company to shut down.

   For weeks, negotiations between the two parties had been strained, each calling the other’s demands unreasonable. The company called for pension cuts for its workers in an attempt to pay off some of the debt it had acquired. But unions, pointing to the lack of pay cuts for the company’s executives, called foul play.

But don’t think that we may be losing our Ding Dongs just yet. Ac- cording to an advisor of Hostess, at least fifty parties are interested in buying some of the famous brands, including Twinkies and Ding Dongs. With a “flood” of inquiries about buying and continuing the much-loved brands it seems unlikely that any of them will fade away.

   Still, the Chicagoland area is left to mourn an iconic company going out of business. Hostess, which started off as the Ward Baking Company in 1849, is gone after 163
years. Let’s have a moment of silence for our good friend, the Twinkie.