Pension and Retirement Plans
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 29, 2015
General Discussion of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Pension And Retirement Plans
Pension and Retirement Plans
The Company accounts for pension and retirement plans in accordance with the authoritative guidance for retirement benefit compensation. This guidance requires recognition of the funded status of a benefit plan in the statement of financial position. The guidance also requires recognition in accumulated other comprehensive earnings of certain gains and losses that arise during the period but are deferred under pension accounting rules.
The Company uses a measurement date for the pension benefit plan that coincides with its year end.
The Company maintains a defined benefit plan, the Pinnacle Foods Group LLC Pension Plan (the "Plan"), which is frozen for future benefit accruals. The Company also has two qualified 401(k) plans, two non-qualified supplemental savings plans and participates in a multi-employer defined benefit plan.

Pinnacle Foods Group LLC Pension Plan
The Plan covers eligible union employees and provides benefits generally based on years of service and employees’ compensation. The Plan is frozen for future benefits. The Plan is funded in conformity with the funding requirements of applicable government regulations. The Plan assets consist principally of cash equivalents, equity and fixed income common collective trusts. The Plan assets do not include any of the Company’s own equity or debt securities.
The following represents the components of net periodic (benefit) cost:
 
 
Three months ended
Pension Benefits
March 29,
2015
 
March 30,
2014
Interest cost
2,828

 
2,902

Expected return on assets
(3,391
)
 
(3,292
)
Amortization of:
 
 
 
Actuarial loss
269

 
32

Net periodic benefit
$
(294
)
 
$
(358
)



Cash Flows
Contributions. In fiscal 2015, the Company expects to make contributions of $2.8 million to the Plan, of which minimum required payments of $1.7 million were made in the three months ended March 29, 2015. The Company made contributions to the pension plans totaling $7.8 million in fiscal 2014, of which $2.1 million was made in the three months ended March 30, 2014.
Multi-employer Plans
 
The Company contributes to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Industry Pension Fund (EIN 51-6055922) (the "UFCW Plan") under the terms of the collective-bargaining agreement with its Fort Madison employees.

For the three months ended March 29, 2015 and March 30, 2014, contributions to the UFCW Plan were $193 and $193, respectively. The contributions to this UFCW Plan are paid monthly based upon the number of employees. They represent less than 5% of the total contributions received by this UFCW Plan using available information during the most recent plan year.

The risks of participating in multi-employer plans are different from single-employer plans in the following aspects: (a) assets contributed to a multi-employer plan by one employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers, (b) if a participating employer stops contributing to the multi-employer plan, the unfunded obligations of the plan may be borne by the remaining participating employers and (c) if the Company chooses to stop participating in the plan, the Company may be required to pay a withdrawal liability based on the underfunded status of the plan.
 
The UFCW Plan received a Pension Protection Act “green” zone status for the plan year ending June 30, 2014. The zone status is based on information the Company received from the plan and is certified by the plan's actuary. Among other factors, plans in the "green" zone are at least 80 percent funded. The UFCW Plan did not utilize any extended amortization provisions that effect its placement in the "green" zone. The UFCW Plan has never been required to implement a funding improvement plan nor is one pending at this time.