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Contingencies | 9 Months Ended
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Jan. 31, 2022
Contingency [Abstract] |
Contingencies | We, like other food manufacturers, are from time to time subject to various administrative, regulatory, and other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We are currently a defendant in a variety of such legal proceedings, including certain lawsuits related to the alleged price-fixing of shelf stable tuna products prior to 2011 by a business previously owned by, but divested prior to our acquisition of, Big Heart Pet Brands, the significant majority of which were settled and paid during 2019 and 2020. While we cannot predict with certainty the ultimate results of these proceedings or potential settlements associated with these or other matters, we have accrued losses for certain contingent liabilities that we have determined are probable and reasonably estimable at January 31, 2022. Based on the information known to date, with the exception of the matters discussed below, we do not believe the final outcome of these proceedings would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. In addition to the legal proceedings discussed above, we are currently a defendant in Council for Education and Research on Toxics (“CERT”) v. Brad Barry LLC, et al., which alleges that we, in addition to nearly eighty other defendants (collectively the “Defendants”) who manufacture, package, distribute, or sell packaged coffee, failed to provide warnings for our coffee products of exposure to the chemical acrylamide as required under California Health and Safety Code Section 25249.5, the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (better known as “Proposition 65”). CERT sought equitable relief, including warnings to consumers, as well as civil penalties in the amount of the statutory maximum of $2,500 per day per violation of Proposition 65. In addition, CERT asserted that every consumed cup of coffee, absent a compliant warning, was equivalent to a violation under Proposition 65. In June 2019, the state agency responsible for administering the Proposition 65 program, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (“OEHHA”), approved a regulation clarifying that cancer warnings are not required for coffee under Proposition 65, and in August 2020, the trial court granted the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment based on the regulation. CERT appealed the ruling in November 2020 to the California Court of Appeals for the Second Appellate District, which is currently pending. We are also defendants in a series of putative class action lawsuits that were originally filed in federal courts in California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Texas, Washington, and Washington D.C., but have been transferred to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri for coordinated pre-trial proceedings. The plaintiffs assert claims arising under various state laws for false advertising, consumer protection, deceptive and unfair trade practices, and similar statutes. Their claims are premised on allegations that we have misrepresented the number of servings that can be made from various canisters of Folgers coffee on the packaging for those products. The outcome and the financial impact of these cases, if any, cannot be predicted at this time. Accordingly, no loss contingency has been recorded for these matters as of January 31, 2022, and the likelihood of loss is not considered probable or estimable. However, if we are required to pay significant damages, our business and financial results could be adversely impacted, and sales of those products could suffer not only in these locations but elsewhere.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for loss and gain contingencies. Describes any existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty as of the balance sheet date (or prior to issuance of the financial statements) as to a probable or reasonably possible loss incurred by an entity that will ultimately be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur, and typically discloses the amount of loss recorded or a range of possible loss, or an assertion that no reasonable estimate can be made. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2127197 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2127163 + Details
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