Dive Brief:
- Mars, Inc. was the only food manufacturer to make Fortune's Best Companies to Work For 2016 list, coming in at No. 99. This was Mars' fourth consecutive year making the list, after ranking No. 85 in 2015, No. 76 in 2014, and No. 95 in 2013.
- Mars received praise for employee benefits that include a pension plan, significant 401(k) match, 30 days of paternity leave, and 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer. But also notable is Mars' dedication to the service of others, such as the Mars Ambassador Program, wherein "associates share their professional or technical expertise with a business partner or non-profit relevant to Mars' business," according to Fortune.
- General Mills, which ranked No. 80 in 2015 and No. 64 in 2014, was absent from this year's list.
Dive Insight:
In the last decade, only in 2006 did three food manufacturers make the list at once, with J.M. Smucker at No. 8 (the highest slot for a food manufacturer since that year), Wm. Wrigley Jr. at No. 95, and General Mills at No. 98.
From 2007 to 2012, only General Mills and/or Smucker made the list intermittently, rising and falling in the ranks from year to year, until Mars joined the list in 2013 (when neither General Mills nor Smucker ranked). Smucker hasn't ranked since 2011.
Several factors were working against General Mills this year, including a series of factory closings and job cuts the company announced last year as part of its cost-cutting efforts. One plant closure in New Albany, OH, led to pressured negotiations with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union, though the union did end up accepting the company's compensation package.
The question is why so few food manufacturers ever make Fortune's Top 100. Some companies, like Tyson and Hormel, have been hurt by labor disputes over pay for pre- and post-shift tasks. Others have had to close factories and cut jobs in recent years as part of cost-cutting initiatives now common across the industry.
But food and beverage companies may be finding employee wages/salaries and benefits are not as appealing when compared to other industries. And that includes grocery retailers, several of which consistently make the Top 100, such as Wegman's, Whole Foods, and Publix.
Tyson recognized the need for a more competitive salary at its U.S. chicken plants last year, but such announcements have been few and far between in this industry lately.