Typically, the Top 100 serves as a good indicator of how the industry has performed, and what the expectations were for the coming year. If the industry is going through strong periods, we will see record sales, acquisitions, expansions and other initiatives. If the industry is pinched because of high prices or a slowdown in the economy, sales drop and future plans become a little more conservative.

Even before the impact of the Coronavirus became fully realized in the United States, there were signs that the meat industry was starting to slow down. This year, respondents to our Top 100 Survey were asked to describe their more recent fiscal year’s performance. Seven companies called it their best year ever, while 13 more described it as merely “good.” These results are a reverse of last year’s poll, when 10 companies described their last year as their best ever, as opposed to six votes for good. There are still plenty of companies that showed impressive growth in the Greatest Gains List. However, the responses for this year’s report were more subdued than previous editions.