Note 7 — Pension Plans

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Beginning in 2012, the Company has received periodic notices from Bakery and Confectionery Union and Industry International Pension Fund (Plan), a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan for certain Company union employees, that the Plan’s actuary certified the Plan to be in “critical status”, as defined by the Pension Protection Act (PPA) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC); and that a plan of rehabilitation was adopted by the trustees of the Plan in 2012. Beginning in 2015, the Plan was reclassified to “critical and declining status”, as defined by the PPA and PBGC, for the plan year beginning January 1, 2015. A designation of “critical and declining status” implies that the Plan is expected to become insolvent in the next 20 years. In 2016, the Company received new notices that the Plan’s trustees adopted an updated Rehabilitation Plan effective January 1, 2016, and all annual notices through 2024, prior to receipt of Special Financial Assistance, have continued to classify the Plan in the “critical and declining status” category. In July 2024 the Plan received Special Financial Assistance of $3.4 billion. As required by federal law, the Plan is certified to be in critical status for plan year 2025 and will be until the plan year ending in 2051 as a result of the Special Financial Assistance received.

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The Company has been advised that its withdrawal liability would have been $102,800, $97,500 and $102,200 if it had withdrawn from the Plan during 2025, 2024 and 2023 respectively. Should the Company actually withdraw from the Plan at a future date, a withdrawal liability, which could be different than the above discussed amounts, could be payable to the Plan.

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The amended rehabilitation plan, which continues, requires that employer contributions include 5% compounded annual surcharge increases each year for an unspecified period of time beginning January 2013 (in addition to the 5% interim surcharge initiated in 2012) as well as certain plan benefit reductions. The Company’s pension expense for this Plan for first quarter 2026 and 2025 was $749 and $698, respectively. The aforementioned expense includes surcharges of $264 and $246 for first quarter 2026 and 2025, respectively, as required under the amended plan of rehabilitation. The Company’s twelve months pension expense for this Plan for 2025 and 2024 was $3,290 and $3,332, respectively, which includes surcharges of $1,160 and $1,174, respectively.

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The Plan was granted approximately $3.4 billion in Special Financial Assistance funds and received those funds in July 2024. The Company’s actuary believes that it still remains unclear if the Plan can remain solvent through the targeted date of 2051 although as a requirement of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Plan must remain in “critical status” through 2051 regardless of solvency. The regulations under the aforementioned PBGC financial assistance could result in a higher withdrawal liability even with PBGC financial assistance since those regulations require use of settlement interest rates to value all, instead of a portion, of the present value of vested benefits in determining the Company’s withdrawal liability. The most recent withdrawal liability estimate from the Plan, since it is calculated as of the end of 2024 as if the Company were to have withdrawn in 2025, does not include any of the $3.4 billion of assets received. The Company is currently unable to determine the ultimate outcome of the above discussed multi-employer union pension matters and therefore is unable to determine the effects on its consolidated financial statements, but the ultimate outcome could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows in one or more future periods.