Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

The Company's business, operations, and financial condition are subject to various risks and uncertainties. There were no material changes during the first quarter of fiscal 2022 to the risk factors previously disclosed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2021, except as follows:

BUSINESS AND OPERATIONAL RISKS

Deterioration of labor relations, labor availability or increases in labor costs could harm the Company’s business. As of January 30, 2022, the Company employed more than 20,000 people worldwide, of which approximately 20 percent were represented by labor unions, principally the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. A significant increase in labor costs or a deterioration of labor relations at any of the Company’s facilities or co-manufacturing facilities resulting in work slowdowns or stoppages could harm the Company’s financial results. Labor and skilled labor availability challenges could continue to have an adverse effect on the Company's business. The union contract at the Company's facility in Rochelle, Illinois, covering approximately 700 employees, will expire on March 18, 2022. Negotiations are ongoing.

INDUSTRY RISKS

Outbreaks of disease among livestock and poultry flocks could harm the Company’s revenues and operating margins.

The Company is subject to risks associated with the outbreak of disease in pork and beef livestock, and poultry flocks, including African swine fever (ASF), Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), pneumo-virus, Porcine Circovirus 2 (PCV2), Porcine Reproduction & Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv), and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The outbreak of such diseases could adversely affect the Company’s supply of raw materials, increase the cost of production, reduce utilization of the Company’s harvest facilities, and reduce operating margins. Additionally, the outbreak of disease may hinder the Company’s ability to market and sell products both domestically and internationally.

In recent years, the outbreak of ASF has impacted hog herds in China, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. If an outbreak of ASF were to occur in the United States, the Company's supply of hogs and pork could be materially impacted.

HPAI has been detected within the United States in 2022. Spreading of the disease by wild birds during the spring migration poses a risk which could adversely impact the Company's poultry business.

The Company has developed business continuity plans for various disease scenarios and will continue to update these plans as necessary. There can be no assurance given, however, that these plans will be effective in eliminating the negative effects of any such diseases on the Company’s operating results.

Item 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

There were no issuer purchases of equity securities in the quarter ended January 30, 2022. The maximum number of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs as of January 30, 2022 is 3,987,494. On January 29, 2013, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of 10,000,000 shares of its common stock with no expiration date. On January 26, 2016, the Board of Directors approved a two-for-one split of the Company’s common stock to be effective January 27, 2016. As part of the stock split resolution, the number of shares remaining to be repurchased was adjusted proportionately.