Item 1. BUSINESS

General Development of Business

Hormel Foods Corporation, a Delaware corporation (collectively, the "Company", "we," "us,", "our"), was founded by George A. Hormel in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, as Geo. A. Hormel & Company. The Company started as a processor of meat and food products and continues in this line of business with emphasis on the manufacturing and distribution of branded, value-added consumer items rather than commodity fresh meat products. The Company builds on its founder's legacy of innovation, quality, and integrity with focus on its purpose statement - Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ Today, the Company is a global branded food company bringing some of the most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe with over $11 billion in annual revenue in more than 80 countries.

The Company has continually expanded its product portfolio through organic growth and acquisitions. During fiscal 2021, the Company acquired the Planters*®* snack nuts business from The Kraft Heinz Company. The acquisition of the Planters*®* snack nuts business has expanded the Company's product portfolio, adding the Planters*®, NUT-rition®, Planters®* Cheez Balls, and Corn Nuts*®* brands. Refer to Note B - Acquisitions and Divestitures for information.

Description of Business

Segments

The Company reports results in the following four segments: Grocery Products, Refrigerated Foods, Jennie-O Turkey Store, and International & Other. Operating results from the Planters*®* snack nuts business are reported through the Grocery Products, Refrigerated Foods, and International & Other segments. Net sales to unaffiliated customers, segment profit, total assets, and the presentation of certain other financial information by segment is reported in Note P - Segment Reporting of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Grocery Products: The Grocery Products segment consists primarily of the processing, marketing, and sale of shelf-stable food products sold predominantly in the retail market, along with the sale of nutritional and private label shelf-stable products to retail, foodservice, and industrial customers. This segment also includes the results from the Company’s MegaMex Foods, LLC joint venture.

Refrigerated Foods: The Refrigerated Foods segment consists primarily of the processing, marketing, and sale of branded and unbranded pork, beef, and poultry products for retail, foodservice, deli, convenience store, and commercial customers.

Jennie-O Turkey Store: The Jennie-O Turkey Store segment consists primarily of the processing, marketing, and sale of branded and unbranded turkey products for retail, foodservice, and commercial customers.

International & Other: The International & Other segment includes Hormel Foods International which manufactures, markets, and sells Company products internationally. This segment also includes the results from the Company’s international joint ventures and royalty arrangements.

Products and Distribution

The Company develops, processes, and distributes a wide array of food products in a variety of markets and manufactures its products through various processing facilities and trusted co-manufacturers. The Company’s products primarily consist of meat, nuts, and other food products sold across multiple distribution channels such as U.S. Retail, U.S. Foodservice, U.S. Deli, and International.

Domestically, the Company sells its products in all 50 states. The Company’s products are sold through its sales personnel, operating in assigned territories or as dedicated teams serving major customers coordinated from sales offices predominately located in major U.S. cities. The Company also utilizes independent brokers and distributors. Distribution of products to customers is primarily by common carrier.

Internationally, the Company markets its products through Hormel Foods International Corporation (HFIC), a wholly owned subsidiary. HFIC has a global presence within several major international markets including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Japan, Mexico, Micronesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. The distribution of export sales to customers is by common carrier, while the China and Brazil operations own and operate their own delivery systems. The Company, through HFIC, has licensed companies to manufacture various products internationally on a royalty basis, with the primary licensees being Danish Crown UK Ltd., and CJ CheilJedang Corporation. HFIC also has a minority position in a food company in the Philippines (The Purefoods-Hormel Company, Inc., 40 percent holding).

Raw Materials

The Company concentrates on the marketing and sale of branded, value-added food products. The principal raw materials used by the Company include pork, turkey, beef, chicken, and nuts. The company takes a balanced approach to sourcing pork raw materials including hogs purchased for our Austin, Minnesota processing facility, long-term supply agreements for pork, and spot market purchases of pork. The majority of the turkeys needed to meet raw material requirements are raised by the Company. Production costs from raising turkeys are subject to fluctuations in grain prices and fuel costs. To manage these risks, the Company uses futures, swaps, and options contracts to hedge a portion of its anticipated purchases of grain. The Company also purchases raw materials from various suppliers. As the Company shifts its focus towards a more value-added portfolio, the Company has become increasingly dependent on these suppliers to meet its raw material needs. The Company utilizes supply contracts to ensure an adequate supply and mitigate price fluctuations.

During fiscal 2021, the Company’s demand for nuts significantly increased due to the acquisition of the Planters*®* snack nuts business. Certain nut varieties, such as cashews, are sourced internationally which may cause additional risks to pricing and availability. The Company uses long-term supply contracts and forward buying to manage these risks.

Human Capital

Employees are pivotal resources that directly impact the success of the Company. As of October 31, 2021, the Company had more than 20,000 active employees, with over 90 percent located within the United States. The Company is subject to collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), with approximately 20 percent of employees covered by CBAs.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Company welcomes the diversity of all team members, customers, and consumers, and encourages the integration of their unique skills, thoughts, experiences, and identities. The Company’s workforce is made up of approximately 40 percent women and over 50 percent ethnic minority groups. By fostering an inclusive culture, the Company enables every member of the workforce to leverage unique talents and high-performance standards to drive innovation and success.

The Company has nine employee resource groups that support the Company’s mission to create a workplace where all people feel welcomed, respected, and valued. These groups play a critical role in diversity initiatives and provide numerous professional development and mentorship opportunities.

Senior leaders of the Company are held accountable to creating an inclusive, diverse workplace through the annual incentive plan, a component of which focuses on overall belonging scores and the representation of women and underrepresented minorities in salaried positions.

Employee Training, Safety, and Total Rewards

The Company believes investing in the education, training, and development of employees contributes to the overall success of the business. The Company provides learning opportunities for employees through various training courses, including instructor-led internal and external programs and on-the-job training.

Hormel Foods is known for its award-winning safety programs. The Company’s dedicated corporate safety department develops and administers company-wide policies to ensure the safety of each employee and compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. The Corporate Safety Steering Committee provides safety leadership and guidance to all Company locations, including monthly safety training and assessments and annual safety audits.

The Company believes its most important asset is its employees and its success is dependent on the attraction, development, and retention of a skilled and experienced workforce. The Company offers a competitive compensation package and a multitude of benefits including medical, life and disability insurance, contributory and non-contributory retirement savings plans, tuition reimbursement, and two years of tuition-free community and technical college for U.S. employees’ dependent children.

The nationwide challenges with labor availability have impacted the business, particularly in the second half of fiscal 2021. To address labor availability, the Company is taking actions to hire and retain team members and implement additional automation across manufacturing facilities.

COVID-19 Response

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic presents unique challenges to the Company and its daily operations. At the onset in 2020, a COVID Response Committee was established to monitor cases and continuously adjust safety procedures to align with current conditions and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most employees working in an office setting transitioned to working remotely, which continued through much of fiscal 2021. As an essential business, plant production team members continued to work in the Company’s manufacturing facilities. The Company’s safety efforts in these facilities included proactive and transparent educational materials; a paid leave and protection program; access to personal protective equipment; enhanced sanitation procedures and daily wellness screenings. The Company also paid over $11.0 million in bonuses to full-time and part-time plant production team members in 2020. As vaccines became available in 2021, the Company coordinated onsite or offsite vaccination clinics at almost all its locations.

Governmental Regulation and Environmental Matters

The Company’s operations are subject to regulation by various governmental agencies which oversee areas such as food safety, workforce immigration, environmental laws, animal welfare, tax regulations, and the processing, packaging, storage, distribution, advertising, and labeling of the Company’s products. The Company believes it is in compliance with current laws and regulations and does not expect continued compliance to have a material impact on capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position. The Company continues to monitor existing and pending laws and regulations and while the impact of regulatory changes cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not expect compliance to have a material adverse effect. In addition to compliance with environmental laws and regulations, the Company sets goals to further improve its sustainability efforts and reduce its environmental impact. These goals include reducing product packaging, solid waste, water use, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. The Company has also put a focus on using renewable energy sources and investing in sustainable agriculture.

Customers

During fiscal 2021, sales to Walmart Inc. (Walmart) represented approximately 15 percent of the Company's consolidated gross sales excluding returns and allowances. Walmart is a customer in all four segments. The Company's top five customers make up approximately 35 percent of consolidated gross sales excluding returns and allowances. The loss of one or more of the top customers in any of the four reporting segments could have a material adverse effect on the results of such segment.

Competition

The production and sale of meat and food products in the United States and internationally is highly competitive. The Company competes with manufacturers of pork and turkey products as well as national and regional producers of other meat and protein sources, such as beef, chicken, fish, nuts, and plant-based proteins.

All segments compete on the basis of price, product quality and attributes, brand identification, breadth of product line, and customer service. Through effective marketing and strong quality assurance programs, the Company’s strategy is to provide high quality products that possess strong brand recognition, which support higher value perceptions with customers.

Patents and Trademarks

There are numerous patents and trademarks important to the Company’s business. The Company holds 39 U.S. and nine foreign patents. Most of the trademarks the Company uses are registered in the U.S. and other countries. Some of the more significant owned or licensed trademarks used by the Company or its affiliates are:

HORMEL, ALWAYS TENDER, APPLEGATE, AUSTIN BLUES, BACON 1, BLACK LABEL, BREAD READY, BURKE, CAFÉ H, CERATTI, CHI-CHI’S, COLUMBUS, COMPLEATS, CORN NUTS, CURE 81, DAN’S PRIZE, DI LUSSO, DINTY MOORE, DON MIGUEL, DOÑA MARIA, EMBASA, FAST ‘N EASY, FIRE BRAISED, FONTANINI, HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS, HERDEZ, HORMEL GATHERINGS, HORMEL VITAL CUISINE, HOUSE OF TSANG, JENNIE-O, JUSTIN’S, LA VICTORIA, LAYOUT, LLOYD’S, MARY KITCHEN, NATURAL CHOICE, NUT-RITION, OLD SMOKEHOUSE, OVEN READY, PILLOW PACK, PLANTERS, ROSA GRANDE, SADLER'S, SKIPPY, SPAM, SPECIAL RECIPE, THICK & EASY, VALLEY FRESH, and WHOLLY.

The Company’s patents expire after a term that is typically 20 years from the date of filing, with earlier expiration possible based on the Company’s decision to pay required maintenance fees. As long as the Company continues to use its trademarks, they are renewed indefinitely.

Available Information

The Company makes available its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on its website at www.hormelfoods.com. These reports are accessible under the caption, “Investors – Filings & Reports – SEC Filings” on the Company’s website and are available as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings are also available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The documents are available in print, free of charge, to any stockholder who requests them.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains “forward-looking” information within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The “forward-looking” information may include statements concerning the Company’s outlook for the future as well as other statements of beliefs, future plans, strategies, or anticipated events and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Reform Act) provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to provide prospective information. The Company is filing this cautionary statement in connection with the Reform Act. When used in the Company’s Annual Report to Stockholders, other filings by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company's press releases, and oral statements made by the Company's representatives, the words or phrases "should result," "believe," "intend," "plan," "are expected to," "targeted," "will continue," "will approximate," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning

of the Reform Act. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical earnings and those anticipated or projected.

In connection with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Reform Act, the Company is identifying risk factors that could affect financial performance and cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from opinions or statements expressed with respect to future periods. The following discussion of risk factors contains certain cautionary statements regarding the Company’s business, which should be considered by investors and others. Such risk factors should be considered in conjunction with any discussions of operations or results by the Company or its representatives, including any forward-looking discussion, as well as comments contained in press releases, presentations to securities analysts or investors, or other communications by the Company.

In making these statements, the Company is not undertaking, and specifically declines to undertake, any obligation to address or update each or any factor in future filings or communications regarding the Company’s business or results, and is not undertaking to address how any of these factors may have caused changes to discussions or information contained in previous filings or communications. Though the Company has attempted to list comprehensively these important cautionary risk factors, the Company wishes to caution investors and others that other factors may in the future prove to be important in affecting the Company’s business or results of operations.

The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which represent current views as of the date made. Forward-looking statements are inherently at risk to any changes in the national and worldwide economic environment, which could include, among other things, changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, economic conditions, political developments, civil unrest, currency exchange rates, interest and inflation rates, accounting standards, taxes, laws, and regulations affecting the Company and its markets.