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The Great Global Reset

As consumers shift consumption habits amidst the pandemic, many manufacturers in ProFood World’s Global 250 Food and Beverage Manufacturers list take this moment as a window of opportunity to boost growth of their iconic legacy brands and retail channel.

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The COVID-19 crisis has upended the food and beverage manufacturing industry. However, unlike other sectors of the economy that have been decimated by the pandemic, most processors are not only surviving, but thriving during this unprecedented public health crisis.  Many of the manufacturers in ProFood World’s Global 250 Food and Beverage Manufacturers list are nimbly navigating the coronavirus pandemic with flexibility and resilience as they pivot their operations to focus on their legacy products and retail channels.

Consumers have changed their purchasing and eating habits in the wake of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. As businesses shut down, more people work from home, and countries around the world issue stay-at-home mandates, consumers are foregoing restaurant visits and limiting their shopping trips in an effort to avoid contracting the virus, prompting significantly more people to load up their grocery store baskets and eat at home more often.



Did you know more data is available for the GLOBAL 250? Use search and sort functions for the entire database here. Statistics on U.S. sales for each company, U.S. beverage sales by company, US package goods sales by company, global beverage sales by company and global package sales by company are available. Processing facility location information is also available. Don't miss the exclusive data for the Global 50 alcoholic beverage manufacturers here



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Home sweet home

At the height of the outbreak in the spring, food flew off supermarket shelves as consumers stockpiled pantry and refrigerator staples in preparation for extended stays at home. According to the Eating Occasions Compass research from the Hartman Group, a food and beverage research firm, at-home eating in the U.S. accounted for 88% of all eating and drinking occasions in spring 2020, an increase of 12% from 2019. Away-from-home eating occasions were cut in half this year, dropping to 12% in 2020 from 24% in 2019.

Although panic buying has abated as many countries have eased their lockdown restrictions and businesses have reopened, consumers will continue to pad their pantries at least for the length of the pandemic. According to a study of more than 1,600 U.S. consumers from PwC, a multinational professional services firm, 64% of respondents said they will continue to maintain their current rate of pantry loading for the foreseeable future. The survey found that 42% of respondents won’t stop pantry loading until the COVID-19 crisis is fully resolved, while 24% said they will continue to load their pantries until grocery stores are consistently restocked. About 18% said they won’t stop stockpiling.

COVID-19 will also continue to impact the foodservice industry, which includes restaurants, school and work cafeterias, and hotels, as consumers remain cautious about eating out. A white paper from foodservice consultancy Technomic found that 3 in 10 consumers said they plan on leaving the house less often, not go to restaurants, or not order food or beverages from away-from-home venues.

Taking center stage

The reduction in foodservice demand combined with consumers continuing to stockpile food have been a boon to Big Food. While the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers are experiencing a sharp drop in foodservice sales, they have been able to offset those losses with a surge in retail sales. Companies with established center-store brands have been reporting better-than-average results, including Nestlé, The J. M. Smucker Company, Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz International, and B&G Foods. Center-store sales have seen a resurgence, driven by consumers stockpiling frozen food and shelf-stable packaged foods as items that offer convenience and a longer shelf life take on renewed importance during the COVID-19 era. In addition, consumers are reaching for familiar nostalgic brands in this time of uncertainty. After years of seeing consumers flock to healthy, fresh, artisanal, and other trendy foods, this surge in center-store sales has breathed new life into iconic legacy brands, including Kraft Macaroni & Cheese mix from Kraft Heinz and Conagra’s Chef Boyardee canned pastas, which experienced flat or sagging sales over the years. 

2In addition, lifestyle changes consumers have made as a result of the COVID-19 crisis have further fueled demand for these old standbys. About 85% of consumers have changed the food they eat or how they prepare food because of the pandemic, according to the International Food Information Council’s 2020 Food and Health Survey. The survey found that the biggest change is that 60% of consumers are cooking at home more. Additional consumers are indulging in snacking as well: About 26% of respondents say they snack multiple times a day and another third snack daily. Snack food consumption has increased more than 8% during the pandemic as consumers turn to savory and sweet snacks for comfort and enjoyment, according to the Snack Food Behaviors in Challenging Times study from market research firm The NPD Group. Building on that need for comfort, analysts and experts say that consumers are reaching for these established brands from Big Food because they provide nostalgia and familiarity as consumers deal with stressors, such as work demands and financial hardships, during this time of uncertainty.


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To meet this sudden shift in consumer demand and keep store shelves stocked, many processors have cut back their SKUs. They have been focusing on producing top-selling, popular products in order to streamline operations and maximize efficiency in their supply chains. This is a strategy Campbell Soup Co. had already been executing pre-pandemic when it divested its international and fresh divisions in 2019 in favor of bolstering its core Meals & Beverages and Snacks divisions. The company accelerated the plan during the pandemic, refocusing production on its classic canned soups and snacks. The strategy paid off. In the third quarter of fiscal 2020, earnings before interest and tax rose 11% to $273 million, while net sales increased 15% to $2.24 billion. The company attributes the growth to a 35% increase in quarterly soup sales as well as strong gains with its Prego pasta sauces, V8 beverages, Campbell’s pasta, Pace Mexican sauces, and Swanson canned poultry. It says comfort foods like soup and Prego pasta sauces cater to “quick scratch cooking,” which allows home cooks to assemble meals quickly. “Consumers have gravitated to our brands because of the comfort they bring,” said Mark Clouse, Campbell’s president and CEO, during the company’s third-quarter earnings call with analysts. “Think of tomato soup paired with grilled cheese or family spaghetti night with Prego pasta sauce or the fun of sharing SpaghettiOs with your kids. All of them have seen significant consumption gains during the crisis.”

INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for Food Products at PACK EXPO Southeast
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INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for Food Products at PACK EXPO Southeast