Chicago - ConAgra Inc retained its top ranking as the largest meat company in the United States in Meat & Poultry magazine's annual ranking of the top 100 meat companies.
The magazine in its July edition estimated ConAgra's 1997 meat sales at $16.51 billion, up from $15.19 billion in 1996. The company's 77 plants process beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry and seafood and employ about 48,000 workers.
The top five companies from a year ago retained their ranks in this year's survey. Beef and pork giant IBP Inc. was second with 1997 sales of $13.30 billion versus $12.54 billion in 1996.
In third place was Cargill Meat Sector with 1997 estimated sales of $9.00 billion, followed by Tyson Foods Inc. with sales of $6.40 billion and Sara Lee Packaged Meats at $4.30 billion.
Smithfield Foods moved up to sixth place from ninth with sales of $3.87 billion, aided by the acquisition of two meat companies.
Farmland Foods Inc. moved to seventh place from 13th with 1997 sales $3.70 billion, with revenues boosted by a joint venture and an acquisition.
Hormel Foods Corp. slipped to eighth place from sixth with 1997 sales of $3.26 billion. Gold Kist Inc. and Oscar Mayer Foods, a division of Philip Morris Companies' Kraft Foods, tied for ninth, each having sales of $2.50 billion. Gold Kist moved up from 11th a year ago and Oscar Mayer slipped from seventh.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
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