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.
Keeping up with the changing landscape of consumer demand is at the heart of any successful business. Food and beverage industry trends have been increasingly shifting toward grocery and meal delivery services. Thanks to ubiquitous technologies that have infiltrated our daily lives, we’ve come a long way from the Milk Man days of the past.
Two of the largest food industry leaders in the country are located right here in Arkansas, and they’re certainly not sitting on the sidelines. Walmart is the country’s largest retailer and tops the Fortune 500 list. Tyson Foods is ranked 80 on Fortune’s list and is the world’s second largest meat processor and marketer. Let’s take a look at what they’ve been doing.
Walmart Meal Kits
Available in the deli section at select stores and via Online Grocery Pickup, Walmart’s meal kits serve two people. These fresh meal options are designed for busy people who want a meal at home with minimal preparation time required.
The recipes are developed and tested at Walmart’s Culinary & Innovation Center in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Online grocery delivery service
Building on the success of its Online Grocery Pickup, Walmart has entered the online grocery delivery arena, partnering with Postmates in April to expand coverage to more than 40 percent of U.S. households by the end of 2018. Walmart uses highly trained personal shoppers to complete customers’ orders, ensuring product quality and customer satisfaction.
Pickup-Only Stores
Not yet in action, it appears Walmart may be considering grocery pickup-only stores, beginning in Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Tyson Ventures
In 2016 Tyson Foods, Inc. launched Tyson Ventures, a venture capital fund with the purpose of investing in companies “developing breakthrough technologies, business models and products to sustainably feed the growing population.”
Tyson Tastemakers and Tyson Meal Kits
In a move to keep up with meal kit delivery startups, Tyson has two lines of meal kits. The first are their meal kits, which can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. The second, Tyson Tastemakers, can be found in the fresh meat sections of select grocery stores (currently limited to Texas) and on Amazon Fresh.
Both aim to make dinnertime easier, and neither requires a subscription.
Tovala
Earlier in 2018, through the above-mentioned Tyson Ventures, Tyson invested in Tovala, a startup with a countertop combi oven and custom meal kit subscription.
Tovala just might be the closest anyone’s come to making a kitchen feel like it’s straight out of The Jetsons. Meal kit subscribers take pre-portioned, fresh ingredients from the delivery box to the oven; scan the meal’s barcode to tell the oven what’s for dinner; and enjoy 20 minutes or so of free time while Tovala cooks the meal precisely, switching as needed between convection baking, broiling and steaming.
Of course, cooking homemade recipes with store-bought ingredients is also an option. There’s an app for that.
From grocery delivery and affordable meal kits, to futuristic ovens and blockchain, Arkansas companies like Walmart and Tyson are pushing boundaries when it comes to deploying technologies within the food industry.
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