In this piece, we will take a look at the 25 biggest food companies in the world by revenue. If you want to skip our coverage of the global food industry and recent events, then you can check out 5 Biggest Food Companies in the World by Revenue.
Just like the oil industry, the food industry is another sector that is quite crucial to global economic well being. Over the course of time, advances in transportation have ensured that the global food industry is an intermix of products shipped all over the world, a fact that makes it quite vulnerable as the world witnessed in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since both countries are key global suppliers of commodities such as grain and wheat, their conflict made food prices surge all over as investors worried about supply chain shocks.
Similarly, advances in production and agriculture technology also mean that as countries such as India are able to utilize their natural advances for mass producing commodities such as sugar and rice, they are also able to influence global food prices as was evident last year in the rice industry after India banned its rice exports. For more details about the rice industry, you can check out Top 20 Rice Producing Countries In The World.
Since then, the global food industry and food prices have somewhat stabilized particularly after record interest rate hiking sprees by central banks. As opposed to high growth stock market sectors such as technology, food companies and food company stocks are more stable and do not entice investors who are chasing lucrative share price appreciations Their stability comes from the fact that food company stocks benefit from stable demand for their products even during an economic downturn. As a whole, these stocks are dubbed as consumer staples and you can find out more about them by reading 14 Best Consumer Staples Stocks To Buy Now.
Building on this, 2023 and 2024 have been marked by a renewed investor focus on technology stocks, with artificial intelligence companies such as NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) in particular attracting billions of dollars in capital. At the same time, this continuing popularity and utility of technology has also continued to affect the global food industry. For instance, the food industry is known for controversial products such as palm oil and the impact they have on global greenhouse gas emissions. On this front, a British startup focusing on manufacturing oils and fat sustainably scored a win in March 2024 when it secured €2.9 million in investments.
One particular area of the food industry that has been creating quite a bit of buzz these days is the cocoa industry. One of the hottest food raw materials over the past couple of years has been cocoa. Cocoa is used to make chocolate, and recent price movements in this commodity have meant that investing in cocoa might have been better for those fortunate to have done so than buying NVIDIA’s shares before the start of the late 2022 – early 2023 AI wave on Wall Street. May cocoa futures crossed a whopping $10,000 per ton in March 2024, to mark a whopping 246% gain over the past twelve months. The reason cocoa prices are high is because there are supply disruptions in the production hub of Africa, with multiple analysts expecting that global cocoa supply will shrink over the next year or so.
So, as the food industry continues to be quite dynamic despite being a stable sector, we decided to look at the biggest food companies in the world. A couple of notable picks are Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (AMS:AD.AS), Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM).
Our Methodology
To make our list of the biggest food companies in the world we ranked all publicly traded food companies by their trailing twelve month revenue and picked out the largest companies.
Biggest Food Companies in the World by Revenue
25. Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $18.66 billion
Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) is an American company that provides food products and related services. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Along with Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (AMS:AD.AS), Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM), it is one of the biggest food companies in the world.
24. General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $20 billion
General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) is a packaged food company that sells dairy products, soup, pizza, and other associated products. It is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
23. Empire Company Limited (TSX:EMP-A.TO)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $22.57 billion
Empire Company Limited (TSX:EMP-A.TO) is a Canadian grocery company and retailer headquartered in Stellarton, Canada. The shares are rated Hold on average, and the average share price target is C$38.86.
22. Sodexo S.A. (EPA:SW.PA)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $24.45 billion
Sodexo S.A. (EPA:SW.PA) is a French company that provides food ordering, delivery, and other associated products and services. The firm made an important announcement in March 2024 when it revealed that it would add carbon labeling to its menus in the U.K.
21. Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:BIMBOA.MX)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $24.56 billion
Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:BIMBOA.MX) is a Mexican bakery company headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. The firm is currently busy expanding its presence in Europe through opening bakeries in Romania.
20. Associated British Foods plc (LSE:ABF.L)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $24.85 billion
Associated British Foods plc (LSE:ABF.L) is one of the biggest food companies in the world with more than a hundred thousand employees. It sells food ingredients, grocery products, and other items.
19. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $25.49 billion
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is the biggest fast food chain in the world and a global brand. The firm made a big announcement in March 2024 when it announced that it would start selling Krispy Kreme donuts in its stores in the U.S.
18. The Kraft Heinz Company (NYSE:KHC)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $26.64 billion
The Kraft Heinz Company (NYSE:KHC) is an American firm that sells ketchups, sauces, and associated packaged food products. The firm has partnered up with the Department of Energy to develop clean energy projects, at a time when it battling accusations of ‘shrinkflation’.
17. WH Group Limited (HKG:0288.HK)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $27.2 billion
WH Group Limited (HKG:0288.HK) is a Hong Kong based company that sells meat products in Europe, Asia, and North America. Nearly a third of its stock is owned by institutional investors, lending the stock a sense of stability.
16. Danone S.A. (EPA:BN.PA)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $27.88 billion
Danone S.A. (EPA:BN.PA) is a French company headquartered in Paris, France. It sells dairy, hydration, nutrition, and other food products.
15. US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $35.59
US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD) is an American firm that provides food products to hospitality and other establishments. The firm has been doing well on the financial front as of late since it has beaten analyst EPS estimates in three out of its four latest quarters.
14. Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $36 billion
Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) is one of the most well known snack companies in the world. It sells biscuits, chocolates, and other associated products.
13. Olam Group Limited (SGX:VC2.SI)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $37.83 billion
Olam Group Limited (SGX:VC2.SI) is a Singaporean company that sells agricultural products such as the hot cocoa bean, nuts, coffee, and others. The firm expanded its global presence in March 2024 by buying a poultry company for €17 million.
12. Compass Group PLC (LSE:CPG.L)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $39.11 billion
Compass Group PLC (LSE:CPG.L) is a sizeable British firm with more than half a million employees. It provides food services to businesses such as hospitals.
11. George Weston Limited (TSX:WN.TO)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $44.11 billion
George Weston Limited (TSX:WN.TO) is a Canadian company that sells groceries. A tough Canadian economy hasn’t boded well for the firm as it has missed analyst EPS estimates in all four of its latest quarters.
10. Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $52.9 billion
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) is an American firm headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas. It produces and sells raw meats, prepared food, snacks, and other food items. The firm is currently facing a bit of controversy through allegations claiming that it is hiring illegal immigrants.
9. Performance Food Group Company (NYSE:PFGC)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $57.8 billion
Performance Food Group Company (NYSE:PFGC) sells meat, frozen foods, snacks, dairy, and other products. The shares are rated Buy on average, and the average share price target is $82.77.
8. Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $58.2 billion
Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is one of the biggest food companies in the world, whose products are sold all over the world. However, 2024 is seeing the firm divest its ice cream business to focus on other operations.
7. Bunge Global SA (NYSE:BG)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $61.2 billion
Bunge Global SA (NYSE:BG) sells agricultural commodities, food oil, flour, and other products. The firm is busy expanding its operations in 2024, and it plans to open a new plant in Louisiana for making food oils.
6. Wilmar International Limited (SGX:F34.SI)
Latest Trailing 12 Month Revenue: $69.8 billion
Wilmar International Limited (SGX:F34.SI) is another Singaporean food company. It sells noodles, rice, flour, and other products. The firm is also the largest Singaporean food company on our list.
Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (AMS:AD.AS), Wilmar International Limited (SGX:F34.SI), Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) are some of the biggest food companies in the world by revenue.
Click to continue reading and see 5 Biggest Food Companies in the World by Revenue.
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Disclosure. None. 25 Biggest Food Companies in the World by Revenue was initially published on Insider Monkey.