John Kerry's wife's company, Heinz, is exporting Jobs?-Fiction!

John Kerry's Wife Owns the Heinz Corporation, Which Has a lot of the Foreign Workers Kerry Criticizes President Bush About-Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor
The message says that the Heinz Company, owned by the wife of presidential candidate John Kerry, has 57 or its 79 plants overseas.
Kerry has criticized Bush for sending jobs abroad.

The Truth
First, the Heinz company has issued a statement clarifying that neither Teresa Heinz Kerry nor Senator Kerry has any involvement in the management or the board of the business.
It also says that neither Teresa Kerry nor any of the Heinz endowments or trusts holds any significant percentage of of shares of the company and that their holdings are less than four percent.
In other words, no controlling interest.
The statement also says that sixty percent of the sales of the company are overseas and that the foreign plants allow them to serve local customers with fresher ingredients.
In other words, their foreign operations are for the purpose of doing business on foreign land, which is not the same, for example, as an American factory firing its workers and having the same work done in another country by cheaper labor.

Teresa Heinz Kerry was married to the late Senator John Heinz III, a Republican from Pennsylvania.
He was killed in an aircraft accident in 1991, leaving his portion of the family fortune to his wife, estimated to be $500 million.

Last updated 4/01/04

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Kerry does not like off shore companies: Oh Really?

Just came across a bit of information regarding Kerry and his claim of the Bush administration sending jobs abroad.

Well, it seems that the Heinz Corporation, owned by Kerry's wife, has 79 plants where it manufacturers products and 57 of the 79 are located in countries outside of the U.S.

How many U.S. jobs are lost here? Factories located at: Taipei, Taiwan (makes Heinz baby foods) Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France; Dovarmenez, France; Lisbon, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Monguzzo, Italy; Athens, Greece; Warsaw, Poland; Pudliszki, Poland; Wodzislaw, Poland; Miedzychod, Poland; Moscow, Russia; Georgievisk, Russia; Cairo, Egypt; Tel Aviv, Israel; Haifa, Isreal; Elst, The Netherlands and 6 other plants there; Brussels, Belgium; Dusseldorf, Germany; Seesen, Germany; Turnhout, Belgium; Rovereto, Italy; Chateaurenand, France; North York, Ontario, Canada; Wheatley, Ontario, Canada; Caracas,Venezuela; San Jose, Costa Rica; Johannesburg, South Africa; Gaborone, Botswana; Harare, Zimbabwe; Cheguta, Zimbabwe; Wellington, South Africa; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Republic of Singapore; Auckland, New Zealand; Tokyo, Japan; Guangzhov, People's Republic of China (makes infant cereal); Qingdao, People's Republic of China (makes infant foods, ketchup, mayonnaise & puree); Inchon, South Korea (makes Heinz products and StarKist); Bangkok, Thailand; Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Surabaya, Indonesia; Manila, Philippines; Wanchai, Hong Kong. Also recently purchased from Bordens these products: Classico Pasta Sauce; Aunt Millies Pasta Sauce; Mrs. Grass Receipt Soups; Wylers Bouillons & Soups. Think of the conflict of interest a President would have who's wife owns business interests in all of these countries and others. Pass it on!!!!