Tyson Foods facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NYSE: TSN (Class A) S&P 500 component |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Founder | John W. Tyson |
| Headquarters | Springdale, Arkansas, U.S. |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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John H. Tyson (Chairman) Donnie King (CEO) |
| Products | Meat and Cultured Meat |
| Revenue |
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Operating income
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| Total assets |
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| Total equity |
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Number of employees
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142,000 (2022) |
Tyson Foods, Inc. is a large American company based in Springdale, Arkansas. It works in the food industry all around the world. Tyson Foods is one of the biggest companies that processes and sells chicken, beef, and pork. It also exports a lot of beef from the United States.
Tyson Foods owns many well-known food brands. Some of these include Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, and Wright Brand. The company has faced some challenges. These include concerns about the environment, how animals are treated, and the well-being of its employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some employees said the company did not do enough to protect them.
Contents
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods was started by John W. Tyson in 1935. The company grew a lot during World War II. This was because chicken was not rationed (limited) by the government. In 2019, Tyson Foods had 141,000 employees. Most of these employees (122,000) work in the United States.
Tyson's main locations are in the Midwest and South of the U.S. They have many facilities in states like Arkansas, Texas, and Iowa.
What Products Does Tyson Foods Make?
Tyson Foods produces about one-fifth of all the beef, chicken, and pork sold in the United States. They sell meat to grocery stores and restaurants. This includes big chains like KFC, Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Walmart.
The company makes many different types of food. These include Buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, and tenders. They have 123 food processing plants. Their largest beef plant is in Dakota City, Nebraska. Tyson also has feed mills, hatcheries, farms, and tanneries.
In 2019, Tyson Foods started making plant-based products. Their "Raised & Rooted" brand first offered vegetarian nuggets and burgers. Later, they made sure the "Raised & Rooted" brand was completely free of animal products. In 2021, they launched vegetarian breakfast sandwiches under their Jimmy Dean brand.
How Tyson Foods Has Grown: Acquisitions and Investments
Tyson Foods has grown by buying other companies. In 2001, they bought IBP, Inc., a large beef and pork processor. They also acquired other companies like Hudson Foods Company and Holly Farms. In 2014, Tyson bought Hillshire Brands for $8.5 billion. Hillshire Brands makes Jimmy Dean sausage and Ball Park hot dogs.
Tyson has continued to buy other food companies. In 2017, they acquired AdvancePierre Foods Holdings. This company supplies packaged sandwiches. They also bought Original Philly Holdings, a cheesesteak company, in 2017. In 2018, Tyson acquired American Proteins, Inc. and Smart Chicken. They also bought Keystone Foods in 2018. In 2019, Tyson bought the European and Thai businesses of BRF, a Brazilian food company.
Tyson has also sold some of its businesses. In 2018, they sold the Sara Lee and Van's brands. In 2020, they sold their Golden Island jerky business. In 2021, they sold their pet treats business to General Mills. In 2024, Tyson sold its broiler processing plant in Dexter, Missouri to Cal-Maine Foods.
Investing in Meat Alternatives
Tyson Foods has invested in companies that make meat alternatives. In 2016, they bought a small part of Beyond Meat. This company makes plant-based meat. Tyson later sold its share in Beyond Meat to focus on developing its own meat alternatives.
Tyson has also invested in clean meat companies. Clean meat is grown in a lab, not from animals. They invested in Memphis Meats and Future Meat. Former CEO Tom Hayes said these investments help meet future customer needs.
Investing in Insects
In 2023, Tyson invested in Protix. This company raises insects. These insects are used to feed pets and other animals that humans eat.
Helping Communities: Corporate Charity
Since 2000, Tyson Foods has given millions of dollars to non-profit groups. Forbes magazine named Tyson Foods a very generous company in 2007. They gave 1.6 percent of their yearly earnings to charity.
Tyson started the "KNOW Hunger" campaign in 2011. This campaign helps raise awareness about hunger in the United States. After the 2011 Joplin tornado, Tyson sent 77,000 pounds of food to the city. They also sent food to communities affected by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tyson has supported "Little Free Pantries." They also work with the Chicago Urban League to teach people about SNAP (food stamp) benefits. In 2015, Tyson promised to invest $50 million by 2020 to fight food insecurity. They actually gave over $60 million by 2020.
Developing New Products: Research and Development
In 2007, Tyson created the Tyson Discovery Center. This is a large research and development (R&D) center in Springdale, Arkansas. Here, they work on new products and better packaging. They later opened a second Discovery Center in Downers Grove, Illinois. As of 2017, Tyson has about 300 employees working in R&D.
Company Leadership
Tyson Foods has had several leaders since it started.
- John W. Tyson, the founder, was CEO from 1935 until 1967.
- Don Tyson was CEO and chairman from 1967 to 1991.
- Leland Tollett was CEO from 1991 to 1998.
- John H. Tyson was CEO from 1999 to 2006.
- Richard L. Bond was CEO from 2006 to 2009.
- Donnie Smith was CEO from 2009 to 2016.
- Tom Hayes was CEO from 2017 to 2018.
- Noel White was CEO from 2018 to 2020.
- Dean Banks was CEO from October 2020 to June 2021.
- Donnie King, who had worked at Tyson for 36 years, became CEO in February 2021 and is still in charge.
Tyson Foods and the Environment
Tyson Foods has faced issues related to the environment. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases in the food industry. Greenhouse gases contribute to climate change.
Tyson has been involved in lawsuits about air and water pollution. In 2003, the company admitted to illegally dumping dirty water from a plant in Missouri. They agreed to pay $7.5 million in fines. In 2005, Tyson settled a lawsuit about air pollution in Kentucky.
The company has worked to improve its environmental record. In 2010, Tyson reported reducing water use and solid waste. Some of their facilities capture biogas from waste. This biogas is used as an alternative to natural gas, saving money.
Tyson has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. This plan is supported by the Science Based Targets initiative. In 2019, Tyson Foods joined the United Nations Global Compact. They also partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund to help farmers reduce pollution.
In 2019, dirty water from a Tyson plant in Alabama polluted rivers. This caused about 175,000 fish to die. The state of Alabama sued Tyson over this incident.
Tyson works with independent contract farmers. Environmental groups have blamed Tyson for pollution from chicken waste in the Illinois River. Tyson says they help move this waste to other areas.
In 2020, Tyson Foods received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency. This award recognized their good environmental performance in shipping.
A 2024 study found that Tyson released millions of pounds of pollutants into waterways. These pollutants included nitrogen, phosphorus, and oil.
Tyson Foods and Its Employees
Workers' Rights
Tyson Foods has worked to improve safety for its employees. In 2016, a report said that some workers were not allowed enough bathroom breaks. In 2017, Tyson Foods announced plans to provide regular bathroom breaks. They also planned to offer training on workers' rights. The company aimed to increase wages and benefits. They also wanted to improve safety programs.
By 2018, hundreds of Tyson Foods workers had joined the company's Upward Academy education program.
Employment of Immigrants
In 2001, Tyson Foods and some employees were accused of helping undocumented immigrants work in their plants. Prosecutors said this had been happening since 1994. In 2003, a jury found Tyson and its managers not guilty of these charges.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic affected Tyson Foods' plants. In April 2020, officials criticized Tyson for not closing a plant in Iowa where an outbreak started. Tyson later closed this plant and others in Texas and Indiana. These closures caused problems for farmers and reduced meat supplies.
John Tyson, the chairman, wrote in the New York Times that the "food supply chain is breaking." He said there would be limited meat in stores until plants reopened.
In June 2020, it was reported that Tyson did not always use recommended safety measures. These included physical distancing and masks. In July 2020, Tyson said it would hire nurses and start testing employees at all U.S. plants.
By August 2020, over 10,000 Tyson workers had COVID-19. In November 2020, a lawsuit claimed that a plant manager had a "betting pool" about how many employees would get sick. Tyson suspended officials and investigated these claims. In December 2020, Tyson fired seven top managers at its Waterloo, Iowa plant. This plant had a large COVID-19 outbreak, infecting over 1,000 employees and causing six deaths.
In August 2021, Tyson required all employees to get COVID-19 vaccines. They offered a $200 bonus for vaccination. This rule was stopped in October 2022.
How Tyson Foods Produces Food
Use of Antibiotics
Tyson Foods has changed how it uses antibiotics in chickens. The USDA once approved a "raised without antibiotics" label for Tyson. However, this was changed because Tyson used certain types of antibiotics. In 2008, Tyson agreed to remove the "raised without antibiotics" label.
In 2015, Tyson Foods announced plans to stop feeding chickens antibiotics that are used in human medicine.
Food Recalls
Sometimes, food products are recalled if there's a problem.
- In January 2019, Tyson recalled over 36,000 pounds of chicken nuggets. They might have had small pieces of rubber in them.
- In March 2019, they recalled 69,000 pounds of chicken strips. These might have had metal pieces. An even larger recall of nearly 12 million pounds of chicken strips happened in May 2019.
- In June 2019, Tyson recalled over 190,000 pounds of chicken fritters. These might have contained hard plastic.
- In July 2021, Tyson recalled nearly 9 million pounds of cooked chicken products. These might have been contaminated with bacteria called Listeria.
Price Manipulation Claims
In 2016, Tyson and other chicken companies were accused of working together to control chicken prices. They were said to have limited the supply of chickens to make prices higher. Tyson has denied these claims.
In June 2020, Tyson worked with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on an investigation into price fixing in the poultry industry. Tyson cooperated to avoid criminal charges. In March 2021, Tyson agreed to pay $221.5 million to chicken buyers to settle these claims.
See also
In Spanish: Tyson Foods para niños
- Broiler industry
- Chicken patty
- Cultured meat
- Food industry
