Arkansas has an abundance of resources to help food processing companies succeed. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission works directly with food processing companies looking to start-up, expand or relocate. In addition, we assist companies with finding the best incentives so companies are able to make money quickly and efficiently.

There were 522 food and beverage companies in Arkansas at the end of 2022. These companies employed 55,130 people. Arkansas is home to Tyson Foods and numerous other food processing facilities, including Nestle, JBS USA, Kraft Heinz, Mars Inc., Cargill Inc., Hormel Foods Corp, Riceland Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, ConAgra Brands Inc., Land O’ Frost and Frito-Lay, Inc.

Arkansas has the 5th largest percentage of food processing workers in the United States. The growth rate of the food and beverage industry from 2017 to 2022 was 6 percent in Arkansas.

The food processing industry is booming in Arkansas and continues to grow exponentially. Eight of the top 10 food and beverage companies by revenue in the world have manufacturing facilities in the state.

Arkansas is meeting the workforce needs for food processing companies. The state now has the second-largest number of food processing workers in the US and Arkansas has responded to industry growth by modernizing the workforce.

Food-Grade Packaging Companies in Arkansas

September 24, 2018

Arkansas sets itself apart as the rich soil for the food and beverage manufacturing industry in North America because of its long history of success in the industry, a wealth of agricultural outputs, the strong and skilled workforce, as well as the pro-business environment. Among the nearly 340 food and beverage manufacturing companies with operations in the Natural State, some are considered the largest players in the world, such as Tyson Foods and Riceland Rice Mill.

One other element that supports the food and beverage manufacturing industry’s success in Arkansas is the robust food-grade packaging industry. Regardless of the materials of the packaging, in general, food packaging serves eight main purposes (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: The eight purposes of food packaging (Click the image to see original size).

As of 2018, there are 39 food-grade packaging companies in Arkansas, with more than two-thirds being paper packaging, and the rest specializing in plastic packaging (see Figure 2). One reason for this paper-heavy distribution is because Arkansas is located in the nation’s wood basket. The state’s forestry industry prospers, especially the west and south portions of the state, outputting products like paper for packaging materials.

Arkansas food and beverage packaging companies

Figure 2: Food-grade packaging companies in Arkansas (Click the image to see original size).

Geographically, the packaging companies are scattered around the state. Within the food and beverage manufacturing company clusters (see Figure 2), which are apparent in the three general metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), the packaging companies are located within them with higher density than in other parts of the state as well. This pattern, accompanied by the convenient logistics provided by interstate highways, helps create a favorable business environment for the overall food and beverage industry in the state.

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