Birds Eye watches fiscal figures head upward

Birds Eye Foods Inc, the Rochester NY-based processor of frozen vegetables and other food products, has reported its second quarter fiscal 2005 results.

Net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2005 were approximately $266.5 million, an increase of $18.0 million or 7.2%, compared with $248.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2004. The rise in net sales is mainly due to the company's recent acquisition of the California & Washington Co and improved volume within the Birds Eye Voila! product line. Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2005 was $16.7 million, a gain of $4.5 million or 36.9% versus $12.2 million in fiscal 2004.

For the six-month period ended Dec 25, 2004, net sales were $443.8 million, which represented an increase of $5.6 million or 1.3% compared with $438.2 million for the six-month period ended Dec 27, 2003. Net income for the six-month period ended Dec 25, 2004, was $16.5 million, a gain of $1.4 million or 9.3 percent, in contrast to $15.1 million in fiscal 2004.