According to the Zhitong Finance APP, Jefferies Analyst Rob Dickerson expects that the weak demand from many large food companies in the USA will continue, as consumers remain skeptical about the value of iconic brands and increased usage of GLP-1 medications leads many to seek fresher and healthier products. Dickerson and his team also anticipate some merger and acquisition activities as companies focus on restoring long-term organic growth patterns.

Entering the new year, in the Large Cap sector, Jefferies prefers McCormick & Co (MKC.US) and The Kroger (KR.US), both rated "Buy". In the Mid/Small Cap sector, it prefers Utz Brands (UTZ.US) and Vital Farms (VITL.US). Jefferies maintains a "Underperform" rating on Hershey (HSY.US), mainly due to rising cocoa prices and pressure on the USA chocolate market.

Looking back, the best-performing food-related stocks in 2024 were Laird Superfood (LSF.US), ChromaDex (CDXC.US), and Lifevantage (LFVN.US), with annual gains of 800%, 286%, and 203%, respectively.

The food stocks with the highest dividend yields are B&G Foods (BGS.US), The Kraft Heinz (KHC.US), Conagra Brands (CAG.US), Flowers Foods (FLO.US), and BRF SA (BRFS.US).

Consulting firm Circana predicts moderate growth in the Food and Beverage Industry in 2025, with sales expected to increase by 2.0% to 4.0% in dollar terms.