From dairy-free offerings to meat alternatives to the ever-growing meal kit market, the refrigerated foods industry continues to reinvent itself.

Discover how bold flavors, sustainable packaging and different ways of doing business help the refrigerated foods industry incur sales and stay in position for whatever the future holds.

Here’s Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Top 25 Refrigerated Foods Processors report, a list of the Top 5 refrigerated foods processors broken down by category (entrées/sides/prepared foods, meat/poultry, dairy, fruits/vegetables 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.

Entreés, Sides, Prepared Foods--How plant expansions & digital hubs present growth

From plant expansions to digital hubs to incubators and environmental stewardship strategies, processors of refrigerated entrées, side dishes and prepared foods are in position for continued growth.

Here’s how the Top 5 players in this category innovate for the future.

Significant events in 2018

• Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., announced plans to invest approximately $150 million in an expansion of the company’s Burke manufacturing facility in Nevada, Iowa. Burke provides pizza toppings and other fully cooked meat products in the foodservice and prepared food industries. Hormel also announced plans to sell its Fremont, Neb., pork processing facility to WholeStone Farms, LLC, Brandon, S.D. Meanwhile, Jennie-O Turkey Store, a Willmar, Minn.-based wholly owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods, launched an online Turkey Tracker, where consumers can track their fresh JENNIE-O whole turkey back to its originating farm.
• The Kraft Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., launched Springboard, a platform dedicated to nurturing, scaling and accelerating growth of disruptive U.S. brands within the food and beverage space. Kraft Heinz also opened the Global Centre of Excellence at the Zuidas in Amsterdam, the company’s largest office location in the Europe, Middle East and Africa Zone. Kraft Heinz also launched Evolv Ventures, a Chicago-based venture fund that will invest in emerging tech companies transforming the food industry. Then, it opened a new digital hub in San Francisco as part of the Evolv Ventures group to create digitally powered business models and launch other entrepreneurial ideas. And, as part of its commitment to reduce natural resource needs and manage overall environmental footprint, Kraft Heinz expanded its environmental stewardship strategy to include time-bound targets for achieving greater packaging sustainability and setting science-based goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reser’s Fine Foods, Beaverton, Ore., opened the doors to a new 320,000-square-foot prepared salad plant that sits on more than 40 acres. Reser’s also expanded its Halifax, N.C., manufacturing plant, which produces Don Pancho brand Mexican products.

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Meat and Poultry--Food safety best practices & energy efficient solutions help revolutionize refrigerated meat, poultry industry

From reducing greenhouse gas emissions to implementing more stringent food safety measures, today’s refrigerated meat and poultry processors are implementing a slew of best practices to keep their companies in the green.

Find out how the Top 5 players in this category are revolutionizing the market one sustainable achievement at a time.

Significant events in 2018

• Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Va., and Isle of Wight County Schools, also based in Smithfield, Va., unveiled a new Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) fieldhouse for Smithfield High School’s JROTC program, which provides participants and instructors with classroom space and equipment storage for drill and competition practice. In January 2018, Smithfield fulfilled its commitment of providing group housing systems for pregnant sows on all company-owned farms in the United States. And, through its Smithfield Renewables, Smithfield implemented a nationwide expansion of innovative projects designed to help reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2025. Furthermore, Smithfield announced plans to achieve zero-waste-to-landfill status across its North Carolina processing facilities with support from Waste Connections, Canada, in what is said to be a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a food company and waste services provider. Smithfield also announced the completion of its new Tar Heel, N.C., distribution center, which features blast cell cold storage capabilities.
• JBS USA, Greeley, Colo., invested $12.5 million in building the JBS Global Food Innovation Center in Honor of Gary & Kay Smith at the Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., to advance best practices in food safety, meat sciences and animal handling and welfare. JBS USA also released its 2020 Sustainability Targets, which establish a clear path for future sustainable progress.
• In December 2018, Cargill Protein opened the doors to its new state-of-the-art North American protein headquarters in Wichita, Kan. Cargill Protein also invested $22 million (CDN) to install a state-of-the-art controlled atmospheric stunning system at its London, Ontario, Canada, chicken processing facility. Cargill also developed what is said to be an industry-first robotic cattle driver aimed at improving animal welfare and employee safety. And, Cargill announced plans to acquire Konspol, a Poland-based processor of chilled convenience, frozen and cold cut products.

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Dairy--Dairy-free disrupts market, creates opportunities for innovation

Dairy-free, plant-based yogurt is the new market disrupter, according to a report published by Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md.

Likewise, spoonable yogurt spurs growth in refrigerated yogurt segment, according to a report released by Freedonia Focus Reports, Cleveland, Ohio.

And, dairy manufacturers should align their new product development and marketing practices with the growing demand for dairy-based snacks, according to GlobalData, UK.

Find out how innovation helped these Top 5 players in this category experience growth.

Changes from last year’s report

• DanoneWave changed its name to Danone North America.

Significant events in 2018

• DanoneWave changed its name to Danone North America, White Plains, N.Y. Additionally, Danone North America, alongside renowned experts and academics, launched a ground-breaking soil health initiative to build best-in-class soil health programs to benefit farms and communities. Danone North America also helped launch the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance to drive progress in public policies that shape what people eat and how it impacts their health, communities and the planet.
• Dean Foods, Dallas, Texas, announced plans to increase its ownership percentage and take a majority stake in Good Karma Foods, a Boulder, Colo.-based plant-based dairy beverage processor.

Significant events to come in 2019

• Danone North America will celebrate its 100-year anniversary.

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Dips & Spreads--Dips with a kick pack in flavor, portability, uptick in sales

Dips with a kick, dips paired with sweet, savory and crunchy snacks and dips in portable packaging—these are just a few of the trends driving growth and innovation in the refrigerated dips and spreads space.

Here’s the Top 5 players playing a major role in increased sales in this category. And, for more on refrigerated dips/spreads, check out the food safety article in this issue, which also discusses high-pressure processing (HPP).

Significant events in 2018

• Sabra Dipping Co., White Plains, N.Y., unveiled a fresh logo and packaging redesign. It also broke ground on an expansion of what is dubbed to be the world’s largest hummus-making facility, and named Tomer Harpaz as new chief executive officer.
• Reser’s Fine Foods, Beaverton, Ore., opened the doors to a new state-of-the-art salad manufacturing plant in Topeka, Kan.

Significant events to come in 2019

• Reser’s is expanding its side dish facility in Topeka, Kan., with a scheduled completion of fall 2019.

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Fruits & Vegetables--Sustainability drives progress in fresh

From sustainable farms to sustainable supply chains, today’s fresh fruit and vegetable processors implement sustainable processes to become more people-, planet- and product-friendly.

Find out how the Top 5 players in this category utilize sustainable measures to drive progress in fresh food operations.

Changes from last year’s report

• Ready Pac Foods changed its name to Bonduelle Fresh Americas.
• DanoneWave changed its name to Danone North America.

Significant events in 2018

• Ready Pac Foods changed its name to Bonduelle Fresh Americas, Irwindale, Calif., after being acquired by Bonduelle, France, in 2017. Then, Oct. 8, Mary Thompson joined as chief executive officer. Bonduelle Fresh Americas was also named Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2019 Refrigerated Foods Processor of the Year.
• DanoneWave changed its name to Danone North America, White Plains, N.Y. Additionally, Danone North America, alongside renowned experts and academics, launched a ground-breaking soil health initiative to build best-in-class soil health programs to benefit farms and communities. Danone North America also helped launch the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance to drive progress in public policies that shape what people eat and how it impacts their health, communities and the planet.
• Dole Food Co., Westlake Village, Calif., sold 45% equity stake to Total Produce, an Ireland-based fresh produce company. Dole Food also sold its fresh-cut businesses—Saba Fresh Cuts AB and Saba Fresh Cuts OY—to BAMA International GmbH, Germany.
• Del Monte Fresh Produce, Coral Gables, Fla., announced plans to build six container ships to service its ocean transportation lanes between Central/South American and U.S. ports. Also, in early 2018, Del Monte Fresh Produce acquired Mann Packing Co., Inc., Salinas, Calif.
• Chiquita Brands International, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced plans to reduce energy consumption of its more than 15,000 40-foot container fleet. It also deployed a new batch of 2500 Star Cool Integrated containers from Maersk Container Industry, Denmark.

Significant events to come in 2019

• Danone North America will celebrate its 100-year anniversary.

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The Reports