Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturers NAICS 311991

Sep 30, 2025 - Hungry For Growth

• While some food companies are breaking up amid challenging market conditions (notably Kraft Heinz), others are on the hunt for deals, The Wall Street Journal reports citing fresh deli prepared foods manufacturer Mama’s Creations acquisition of Crown I Enterprises in September. Mama’s Creations, which supplies major retailers like Costco and Walmart, purchased the ready-to-eat meal maker from food service distributor Sysco for $17.5 million. The acquisition brings the potential for more customers, the ability to make meatballs and other items faster and at a lower cost, and adds a 42,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, according to WSJ. With rising menu prices having many consumers saving money by eating prepared foods at home, deli department sales are growing faster than other grocery departments, according to market-research firm Circana. Mama’s expansion while other companies retrench shows growth can still be on the table in a difficult market.
• Fear of spoilage can discourage consumers from buying and eating healthful packaged food, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a recent study – To Dispose or Eat? The Impact of Perceived Healthiness on Consumption Decisions for About-to-Expire Foods – published in the Journal of Marketing. That’s because consumers worry that healthy food expires more quickly than other foods. The survey found that packaged food perceived as the healthiest was ranked as the first to expire by the more than 3,500 consumers in North America, South Korea, and the UK surveyed by researchers. How food is labeled has an impact on consumer behavior and can cause consumers to choose less-healthful alternatives or throw out items that haven’t actually spoiled. The study found shoppers were more likely to buy healthful packaged food if it had a label like “Consume By” versus a more ambiguous label like “Packaged On.”

• A new study has found widespread human exposure to thousands of chemicals used in food packaging, Food Manufacturing reports. The study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, identified over 3,600 chemicals used in food packaging and other food contact chemicals (FCCs) that have been found in human urine, blood, and breast milk and reveals significant gaps in biomonitoring and toxicity data. “Our research establishes a link between food contact chemicals, exposure, and human health,” said Dr. Birgit Geueke, adding, “It also highlights those chemicals that have been overlooked in biomonitoring studies so far.” FCCs include PFAS (aka “forever chemicals”), which are facing increased scrutiny and regulation. Food companies are beginning to adopt PFAS-free packaging alternatives (like clay-coated paper, biowax, bamboo, and seaweed-based materials) to reduce financial and reputational risks as regulations tighten, Food Industry Executive reports.
• Producer prices for perishable prepared food manufacturers fell 0.9% in August compared to a year ago, after rising 2.8% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. At retail, by comparison, the price of frozen and freeze dried prepared foods rose 0.4% year over year in August but was down 1.9% versus July, while the retail price of prepared salads rose 3.8% YoY in August and 0.4% versus July, according to the August 2025 Consumer Price Index report. Employment by the industry was flat year over year in July, while the average industry wage at food manufacturers rose 2% YoY in August to $23.98 per hour, easing from its high in January, BLS data show.