With unemployment low and competition for employees fierce, the food industry is struggling to attract and retain top talent. Every year, Forbes surveys workers to discover which employers are doing the best job of creating an environment where people like to work.
Although the lists below look impressive (the greater food industry accounted for close to 10% of the America’s Best Large Employers list), the details suggest that food retailers and restaurants are doing a much better job than food processors of keeping their employees happy. Land’O Lakes, General Mills, and E&J Gallo Winery were the only processors to make the top 100. Cargill, the world’s largest food company, didn’t even make the list, while Nestle, the second largest, came in at #239.
Here are the food processors, distributors, retailers, and restaurants that made the 2019 lists for best large employers and best midsize employers.
America’s Best Large Employers |
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| Position | Company | Industry |
| 1 | Trader Joe’s | Retail and wholesale |
| 4 | Costco Wholesale | Retail and wholesale |
| 19 | Wegmans Food Markets | Food markets |
| 23 | Land O’Lakes | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 28 | In-N-Out Burger | Restaurants |
| 36 | General Mills | Food processing |
| 62 | Publix Super Markets | Food markets |
| 72 | E&J Gallo Winery | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 94 | Starbucks | Restaurants |
| 132 | H-E-B Grocery Stores | Retail and wholesale |
| 158 | Mead Johnson Nutrition | Household/Personal Care |
| 164 | Jason’s Deli | Restaurants |
| 166 | Mars | Food, drink, and tobacco |
| 178 | McCormick | Food processing |
| 188 | Five Guys | Restaurants |
| 197 | ALDI | Retail and wholesale |
| 199 | Kwik Trip/Kwik Star | Retail and wholesale |
| 200 | Sysco | Food retail |
| 206 | Texas Roadhouse | Restaurants |
| 208 | Whole Foods Market | Food retail |
| 215 | Wawa | Convenience stores and gas stations |
| 230 | PepsiCo | Beverages |
| 239 | Nestle | Food processing |
| 245 | Coca-Cola | Beverages |
| 281 | Unilever | Household/personal care |
| 283 | It Works | Packaged Goods |
| 286 | Big Y World Class Market | Retail and wholesale |
| 291 | Anheuser-Busch InBev | Beverages |
| 302 | The Cheesecake Factory | Restaurants |
| 308 | Sanderson Farms | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 338 | Kraft Heinz Company | Food processing |
| 374 | Levy | Restaurants |
| 396 | Red Lobster | Hotels, restaurants, and leisure |
| 399 | Darden Restaurants | Restaurants |
| 402 | Saputo Cheese | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 412 | Dave & Buster’s | Restaurants |
| 415 | JM Smucker | Food processing |
| 416 | Rich Products | Food, drink, and tobacco |
| 425 | TGI Friday’s | Restaurants |
| 441 | Chewy | Retail and wholesale |
| 455 | Keurig Dr Pepper | Beverages |
| 485 | Archer Daniels Midland | Food processing |
| 490 | Panda Express | Restaurants |
| 493 | Snyder’s-Lance | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 494 | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | Restaurants |
America’s Best Midsize Employers |
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| Position | Company | Industry |
| 50 | Chick-fil-A | Restaurants |
| 75 | Earth Fare | Retail and wholesale |
| 89 | MillerCoors | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 105 | Herr’s | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 110 | Heinen’s Grocery Store | Retail and wholesale |
| 156 | Total Wine & More | Retail and wholesale |
| 162 | Wells Enterprises | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 184 | Diageo | Beverages |
| 192 | Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake | Restaurants |
| 205 | Red Bull | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 206 | Bi-Mart | Retail and wholesale |
| 254 | Harmons | Retail and wholesale |
| 284 | Captain D’s Seafood | Restaurants |
| 287 | Caribou Coffee | Restaurants |
| 298 | Pet Supplies Plus | Retail and wholesale |
| 305 | Krispy Kreme Doughnuts | Restaurants |
| 319 | Mellow Mushroom | Restaurants |
| 324 | Sbarro | Restaurants |
| 330 | Ben E Keith | Food, drink, and tobacco |
| 341 | Bar-S Foods | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 354 | HoneyBaked Ham | Retail and wholesale |
| 368 | Brown-Forman | Beverages |
| 390 | Famous Dave’s | Restaurants |
| 410 | Redner’s Markets | Retail and wholesale |
| 411 | Firebirds Wood Fired Grill | Restaurants |
| 412 | Fresh Thyme | Retail and wholesale |
| 416 | Utz Quality Foods | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
| 417 | Ingredion | Food processing |
| 440 | Pret a Manger | Restaurants |
| 500 | Amy’s Kitchen | Food, soft beverages, alcohol, and tobacco |
