The Most Valuable Food Brands in the World

Established in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1957, McCain Foods is today the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, with over 20,000 employees worldwide. One out of every four French fries eaten worldwide was produced by McCain, and you’ll find plenty of their potato products in the freezer aisle, including their famous “Smiles.”

Mengniu Dairy was founded in Inner Mongolia in 1999, and its growth since then has been astronomical. The Chinese company manufactures and distributes a wide variety of dairy products, including ice cream (“mengniu” is Chinese for “Mongolian cow). A primary reason for its success is high-profile advertising campaigns and sponsorships. It was a sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, for example.

China’s Foshan Haitian Flavouring & Food Co. is the world’s largest manufacturer of soy sauce, a foundation of Chinese and other Asian cuisines. The company, which can trace its origins back to the 1600s, today manufactures not only soy sauce but also other sauces and condiments including oyster sauce, hoisin, fermented bean paste, and vinegars.

Battle Creek-based Kellogg’s famously got its start when brothers John Harvey Kellogg and W.K. Kellogg inadvertently invented flaked cereal by processing a batch of leftover wheat dough instead of throwing it out. That led to corn flakes, and to breakfast cereal as we know it today. The company is still best-known for its cereals, which include Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes, but also for such snack brands as Pringles, Cheez-Its, and Pop-Tarts.

The Quaker Oats company is most closely associated with its famous oatmeal, which has been gracing breakfast tables since 1877 – but today it’s also the company behind breakfast cereals including Cap’n Crunch and Life, Pearl Milling Company (formerly Aunt Jemima) pancake mix, Chewy Granola Bars, and Rice-A-Roni.

Arkansas-based Tyson Foods is the world’s second-largest processor of chicken, beef, and pork. The company supplies all the chicken to KFC, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Wal-Mart, and also operates major food brands including Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, and Ball Park – but is also the country’s largest beef exporter.

Founded in 1919, the French multinational Danone is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of baby formula, bottled water, and dairy products (especially yogurt). Its yogurt is sold under the brand name Dannon in the U.S., and its portfolio also includes Activia and Volvic water.

Lay’s, formally known as Frito-Lay, was founded in 1961 when two companies – Fritos and Lay’s Potato Chips – formally merged. Today, it’s a massive snack food company, with primary snack food brands under its umbrella including Fritos, Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos, Lay’s, Ruffles, Sun Chips, Cracker Jack, and Rold Gold.

China’s most valuable food & beverage company, Yili Group is a dairy products producer based in Inner Mongolia. Founded in 1993, it produces milk and other dairy including ice cream, milk tea powder, powdered milk, and organic milk.

You might only know Nestlé as a chocolate company, but this Swiss company is actually the world’s largest food company as measured by revenue and several other metrics. The company has 447 factories in 189 countries, and its more than 2,000 products include not just chocolate but also baby food, bottled water, breakfast cereals, coffee and tea, frozen foods, pet food, dairy products, ice cream, and snack foods. Its best-known brands include Nesquik, Carnation, Taster’s Choice, Nespresso, DiGiorno, Hot Pockets, Lean Cuisine, Boost, Toll-House cookie dough, and, for pets, Purina and Alpo.