Sales for Hormel Foods grew nearly 17% to $2.86 billion for the third fiscal quarter that ended July 25 when compared with the same period in 2019, but the labor shortage and rising supply chain costs dampened net income, said CEO James Snee. Hormel is expecting a "strong finish" to 2021 due to the Planters acquisition, foodservice recovery and pricing actions, added Snee.

Flowers Foods' sales for its first quarter ending April 24 dropped 3.5% compared with the same period in 2020 but grew 3% compared with 2019's first quarter. CEO A. Ryals McMullian said core brands are "thriving," with sales of its Canyon Bakehouse, Dave's Killer Bread and Nature's Own brands increasing roughly 101%, 42% and 16%, respectively, compared with 2019's first-quarter sales.

Hormel Foods increased its full-year profit forecast after sales grew 3.2% for its first fiscal quarter ending Jan. 24, thanks to continued strength in retail sales and foodservice starting to reopen, said CEO Jim Snee. Snee added it is "incredibly disappointing" Hormel's home state of Minnesota has yet to prioritize food supply chain workers for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Hormel Foods is working on creating new plant-based items including a vegan pizza topping, said CEO Jim Snee. "[T]here is a lot of work happening both in the market and behind the scenes," he said.

Growth in the deli category is outstripping that of the rest of the grocery store by more than four times, and Hormel has launched a new deli division to capitalize on that demand, said CEO Jim Snee. "Our new deli division represents almost $1 billion in annual sales and will be the company's next growth engine," Snee said.