Innovation in refrigerated foods and beverage continue to keep brick-and-mortar retailers alive, as shoppers flock to the perimeter of stores for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, refrigerated meats and more. Innovation is also why the overall refrigerated foods and beverage industry is experiencing an uptick in sales.

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods compiled a list of Top 25 refrigerated foods processors, broken down by category (prepared foods/entrées/side dishes, meat/poultry, dairy, fruits/vegetables, beverages and dips/spreads). Processors are ranked by annual net sales and listings. This report represents Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ best efforts to reflect pertinent sales from all refrigerated channels. Sales figures and estimates are based on company reports, news releases, market analysts’ reports, industry media and more. Figures exclude shelf-stable products, but may include non-refrigerated sectors, as some companies do not separate refrigerated sales from frozen. Bag salad sales exclude raw produce. Prepared foods sales include prepared dishes and salads. Fruits and vegetables exclude juice.

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ENTRÉES, SIDES & PREPARED FOODS: READY MEALS DELIVER GROWTH IN REFRIGERATED PREPARED FOODS CATEGORY

From ready-meal kits to home delivery services, the refrigerated meals section is experiencing a great deal of growth.

Delivered directly to households or picked up from grocery stores in pre-packed portions, meal kits include portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions, allowing consumers to skip extensive meal prep and dive right in.

In fact, one in four adults in the United States purchased a meal kit for delivery or in-store, in the last year, and 70% continue to buy them after making their first purchase, according to research released by Nielsen, New York. The study states that many consumers continue buying meal kits because they offer new and healthy recipes, and that the inclusion of fresh foods and easy-to-follow recipes make meal kits a simple option for those looking to manage their health and diets.

Here’s how the Top 5 players in this category experienced growth.

Changes from last year’s report

• Added Hormel Foods Corp. and General Mills to the list.
• Removed BEF Foods (Bob Evans) and Blount Fine Foods from the list.

Significant events in 2017

• Reser’s Fine Foods, Beaverton, Ore., consolidated operations and closed three plants.
• Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., announced that its specialty foods segment merged into the company’s grocery products segment.
• General Mills, Minneapolis, was featured in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ cover story on green technologies (May 2017 issue) for becoming a global climate leader.
• Kraft Heinz, Chicago, signed on as the largest tenant of Dallas Logistics Pointe, Garland, Texas, leasing 260,959 square feet for its new grocery-style distribution hub for fulfillment and logistics. Furthermore, Kraft Heinz released its inaugural corporate social responsibility report, which reveals its commitment to transition to 100% cage-free eggs in all global operations by 2025.

Significant events to come in 2018

• Reser’s announced plans to open a new state-of-the-art salad manufacturing plant in Topeka, Kan.

MEAT & POULTRY: MEAT, POULTRY SECTOR EXPERIENCING GLOBAL BOOM

The meat, poultry and seafood industry is experiencing a global boom, according to the “2017 Trends Shaping Meat, Poultry and Seafood Market Segment report,” produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, Reston, Va.

Factors influencing this boom include population gains, increased demand for meat, poultry and seafood and growth in foodservice and export opportunities.

Find out how the Top 5 players in this category are beefing up category growth.

Significant events in 2017

• Cargill, Wichita, Kan., opened the doors to its $111 million cooked meats facility in Columbus, Neb., and broke ground on the $12 million, 11,700-square-foot expansion at its cooked egg facility in Mason City, Iowa. Cargill Protein announced plans to expand its Nashville, Tenn., facility, and acquired Pollos El Bucanero S.A. (Bucanero Chicken), a Colombian-based producer of chicken and processed meats products.
• Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Va., launched Smithfield Bioscience, a strategic platform within the organization that leverages byproducts from the meat production process for the development of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and medical device solutions, and Smithfield Renewables, a new platform also within the organization that will unify, lead and accelerate the company's carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts. In August, Smithfield acquired Kansas City Sausage Co., LLC, a Kansas City, Mo.-based producer of pre-rigor sausages, and in June, acquired Pini Group’s packaged meats companies in Poland. It announced plans to build a new distribution center and expand its blast cell cold storage capabilities at its Tar Heel, N.C., processing facility, which was featured in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ December 2017 issue. Smithfield Foods was also featured in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ May 2017 cover story discussing its wastewater treatment systems.
• Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., acquired Cidade do Sol, a Brazil-based provider of value-added meats, and expanded its foodservice portfolio with the acquisition of Fontanini Italian Meats and Sausages, a McCook, Ill.-based branded foodservice business. Hormel also announced that its specialty foods segment merged into the company’s grocery products segment.
• Tyson Foods, Inc. opened the doors to its new office building at its Springdale, Ark., headquarters. Tyson also collaborated with the World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C., to develop science-based greenhouse gas and outcome-based water conservation targets for its operations and the company’s supply chain. It also announced plans to expand its Pottsville, Pa., distribution center, to expand its Union City, Tenn., poultry plant, to build a new chicken production complex in Humboldt, Tenn., and to build a state-of-the-art poultry complex in Tonganoxie, Kan. Tyson also acquired AdvancePierre Foods Holdings, Inc., Cincinnati, and completed the acquisition of Original Philly Holdings, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
• JBS USA, Greeley, Colo., announced plans to acquire Plumrose USA, a Downers Grove, Ill.-based division of Danish Crown A/S, Denmark. JBS also collaborated with CHEP, Livonia, Mich., to expand existing pallet volumes and engage in additional collaborative supply chain solutions.

Significant events to come in 2018

• The construction of Cargill Protein’s new 190,000-square-foot headquarters, which will remain in Wichita, is scheduled to be completed in October.
• Tyson Foods announced plans to invest $84 million in its Union City, Tenn., poultry plant. The project is expected to be complete by mid-2019.

DAIRY: CHEESE, SPOONABLE YOGURT SPUR GROWTH IN REFRIGERATED DAIRY SECTOR

Growth in the refrigerated dairy case is largely due to the influx of cheese demand, according to Hoovers, Austin, Texas. In fact, U.S. dairy manufacturers produce about 11.5 billion pounds of cheese each year, while the average American consumes more than 35 pounds of cheese per year — an increase of more than 20% in the last two decades.

Meanwhile, research from Chicago-based Mintel reveals that sales of yogurt drinks have grown a healthy 62% in 2011-2016, with the spoonable yogurt segment accounting for the majority of sector sales.

Find out how the Top 5 players in this category experienced growth.

Changes from last year’s report

• Added General Mills and Saputo Inc. to the report.
• Removed Schreiber Foods and Land O’Lakes from the report.

Significant events in 2017

• Canada-based Saputo acquired Betin, Inc., doing business as Montchevre, a Belmont, Wis.-based specialty cheese manufacturer, and Murray Goulburn Co-Operative Co. Ltd., based in Australia.
• Dean Foods Co., Dallas, Texas, announced a minority investment and distribution deal with Good Karma Foods, Boulder, Colo., and acquired Uncle Matt’s Organic, Clermont, Fla. Dean Foods also announced plans to close its Richmond, Va., PET dairy plant, owned by Land-O-Sun Dairies LLC.
• General Mills, Minneapolis, was featured in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ cover story on green technologies (May 2017 issue) for becoming a global climate leader.
• The Kraft Heinz Co., Chicago, sold its Campbell, N.Y., cheese plant to Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Buffalo, N.Y. Kraft Heinz also signed on as the largest tenant of Dallas Logistics Pointe, Garland, Texas, leasing 260,959 square feet for its new grocery-style distribution hub for fulfillment and logistics. Furthermore, Kraft Heinz released its inaugural corporate social responsibility report, which reveals its commitment to transition to 100% cage-free eggs in all global operations by 2025.

Significant events to come in 2018

• Saputo plans to improve operational efficiency by closing its cheese manufacturing facility in Fond du Lac, Wis., effective May 2018.

DIPS & SPREADS: REFRIGERATED DIPS EXPERIENCE INCLINE IN SALES THANKS TO ALL-DAY SNACKING

From intricate flavoring to the influx of high-pressure processing (HPP) technology, the refrigerated dips and spreads market continues to experience elevated growth.

Specifically, the chips and dips market is poised to reach a robust $19.2 billion in sales by 2020, according to Mintel, Chicago. From Greek yogurt guacamole to sweet and sour salsa hummus, this segment thrives on innovation.

Here’s how the Top 5 players played a role in the uptick in sales of this category.

Changes from last year’s report

• Added Reser’s Fine Foods to the report.
• Removed Garden Fresh Gourmet from the report.

Significant events in 2017

• Sandridge Food expanded its Medina, Ohio, headquarters plant to make room for additional manufacturing capabilities and capacity. Sandridge also installed new processing equipment in its Morton, Ill., facility for sous vide manufacturing.
• Sabra Dipping Co., Chesterfield, Va., was featured in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ cover story on green technologies (May 2017 issue) for its LEED certification achievements.
• MegaMex Foods, the Austin, Minn.-based joint venture between Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., and Herdez Del Fuerte, S.A. de C.V. and the maker of Wholly Guacamole refrigerated guacamole, opened what is said to be the nation’s first-ever guacamole-themed lounge—The Guac Stop—at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing. Meanwhile, Hormel Foods announced that its specialty foods segment merged into its grocery products segment.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES: DEMAND FOR FRESH-CUT PRODUCE GROWING AT STEADY RATE

The fruit and vegetable processing industry is gradually growing at a strong growth rate thanks to a rising consumer demand for fresh and healthy products that are easily available and need minimum preparation time, according to a new study from Market Research Hub, Albany, N.Y.

Per the findings of the study, the vegetable category has experienced stable growth over the past few decades, driven primarily by fresh vegetables and fresh-cut salad.

Find out how the Top 5 players in this category experienced growth.

Changes from last year’s report

• Changed Earthbound Farm to DanoneWave, per company request.

Significant events in 2017

• Dole Food Co., Thousand Oaks, Calif., rolled out new salad bag graphics.
• Chiquita Brands International, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., installed what is said to be the world’s largest solar tracker system.
• Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., Coral Gables, Fla., and Del Monte Pacific Ltd., Philippines, formed a series of new joint ventures between the two companies that will result in expanded refrigerated offerings sold across all distribution and sales channels, as well as a new retail food and beverage concept modeled after the Fresh Del Monte Produce business in the Middle East. Fresh Del Monte Produce also announced plans to expand its U.S. logistics network by setting up a distribution center at the site of the former AstroPower building, currently owned by Christina School District, in New Castle, Del.
• Bonduelle, France, acquired Ready Pac Foods, Irwindale, Calif.

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