Mondelez CEO On CNBC: Consumers Remain Catious

The landscape for confectionery manufacturers is rapidly changing as consumers shift from traditional snacks to healthier options. Taking note of this shift, snack manufacturing giant Mondelez International Inc MDLZ recently acquired Enjoy Life Foods, a small allergen-free food manufacturing company.

Mondelez Chairman and CEO Rene Rosenfeld, was recently on CNBC to discuss about the M&A taking place in the industry and cautiousness among consumers.

M&A Has Been A ‘Critical Enabler’

“At every juncture, there is always a question as to whether or not there is going to be a real change in M&A activity," Rosenfeld said. “What I can tell you is for us, M&A over the last seven or eight years has been a critical enabler to constructing the advantage portfolio that we have today and at this point I feel very good about the categories in which we participate."

She continued, “I like snacks and I think our brands are quite well positioned as well as our position in emerging markets to deliver growth as we look over the longer term.”

Consumers Remain Cautious

“The mood of the consumer around the world is kind of cautious. It varies a little bit from one geography to the other,” Rosenfeld said. “Certainly in the U.S., we are seeing a little bit of an upturn, but at a very slow rate because I think consumers remain quite cautious.

“As we think about regions like Europe, that’s a tough place and I think that the mood there varies a little bit country by country, but we are continuing to see a lot of caution there."