Worthy of Admiration

Earlier this year, Fortune Magazine named its 2010 list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Lately, I have noticed many of the food and beverage consumer packaged goods companies that made the list have been in the news for unveiling new products, sponsoring new causes, and earning awards for their outstanding treatment of employees. For this, it is worthwhile to point out which companies were a part of the list as we await the 2011 list early next year.

To rank the companies, Fortune surveyed businesspeople, asking them to vote for the companies that they admired most from any industry. Among the food and beverage CPG companies that landed on the overall top 50 list: Coca-Cola at number 10, PepsiCo at number 25, Nestlé at number 34, and General Mills at number 47.

Within the consumer food products industry, the survey recognized the following companies:

1. Nestlé
   
2. PepsiCo
   
3. General Mills
   
4. Unilever
   
5. Kellogg's
   
6. Danone
   
7. Kraft Foods
   
8. H.J. Heinz
   
9. Cadbury (On February 2, 2010, Cadbury became part of Kraft Foods.)
   
10. ConAgra Foods
    
11. Sara Lee
    
12. Dean Foods
    
13. Seasoning and sauce maker Ajinomoto

The survey acknowledged the following beverage companies as the World's Most Admired:

1. Coca-Cola
   
2. Anheuser-Busch InBev
   
3. Brewer SABMiller
   
4. Pepsi Bottling Group (Now part of PepsiCo.)
   
5. Coca-Cola Enterprises
   
6. Diageo
   
7. FEMSA, the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler
   
8. Heineken
   
9. Kirin Brewery
   
10. (Tie) Japan's Asahi Breweries and Danish brewing company Carlsberg A/S

Finally, survey results proved these food production manufacturers to be the best of the best:

1. Archer Daniels Midland
   
2. Corn Products International
   
3. Agribusiness and food company Bunge
   
4. Asia's leading agribusiness group Wilmar International
   
5. Chiquita Brands International
   
6. Smithfield Foods
   
7. Tyson Foods
   
8. Seaboard, maker of grain and agriculturally derived products
   
9. Sanderson Farms 100 percent natural chicken
   
10. Pilgrim's Pride

With innovation in products and manufacturing techniques, as well as exceptional corporate social responsibility practices and the support of employees through excellent benefits, these food and beverage companies deserve the title of one of the "World' Most Admired Companies."

How do you feel about the companies on this list? If you've worked for a business that made the list, leave a message and tell me more! If you feel that an important company was left off the 2010 list, let me know why. With so many industry changes, it will be interesting to see how the 2011 list will transpire.