Which of America's Biggest Food Companies Top This Year's Fortune 500 List?
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Today, Fortune released their list of America's top 500 companies. The new list marks the 62nd time the magazine, a sister publication of Cooking Light, has created this compilation of the largest companies in the United States. The rankings, which are based on each company's revenue for their previous fiscal year, represent two-thirds of our nation's gross domestic product (GDP). That's a lot of dough.
LEARN MORE: Read Fortune's methodology for their list.
Speaking of dough, the number of food brands that made the big list might be surprising to some. At the top of the overall list, you shouldn't be surprised to see big name staples like Walmart, Exxon Mobil, and Apple. But what about Keurig Green Mountain? Or Whole Foods Market? Both of those big food names made the list, along with a host of other food- and health-related brands. Here's a brief rundown of the names you'll see. Click over to Fortune to read more about each company and see the whole list for yourself.
In the food production category, Archer Daniels Midland is the highest ranking brand at #41. The food processing and commodities trading corporation, which is headquartered in Chicago, makes oils and processes corn and grains for a variety of food and beverage applications. Another notable name on this list: Tyson, which made the list at the 66th spot. The company most known for their chicken products calls Springdale, AR home.
Food service brands like McDonald's and Starbucks are mainstays for these types of lists. Last year, the fast-food giant brought in over $25 billion in revenues, while the coffee king raked in more than $19 billion. Darden Restaurants, which owns chain restaurants such as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Seasons 52, also made the list, as did interstate icon Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.
The list of companies topping the Food Consumer Products category are likely to be very familiar to the average consumer. PepsiCo tops the list at #44, while Kraft Heinz came in at a respectable #153. General Mills, which last week announced a flour recall due to possible E. coli contamination, ranks #161. Big brands like Kellogg, Land O'Lakes, Hershey, and McCormick finish out the list of the biggest consumer food product brands.
Perhaps the most interesting food-related list is the rankings of Food and Drug Stores. CVS Health, the popular corner pharmacy store, is the highest ranked drug store in the 7th position. Coming in close on their heels is competitor Walgreens Boots Alliance at #19. Grocery store mega-chain Kroger is the highest ranking grocery store at #17. Regional favorite Publix Super Markets is the next closest, at spot #87. Rounding out the top five food and drug stores is Rite Aid, at spot #107.
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