America's Biggest Food Companies

PepsiCo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Kate Robertson

Consumers are becoming more aware of where their food comes from. Whether it’s concerns about the treatment of animals, the environmental impact of how food is transported or health issues stemming from pesticides, genetically-modified foods or processed foods – more people are taking the saying “you are what you eat” to heart. But eating locally and organically can be expensive, and food available in winter can be lackluster, to say the least. So, whether we like it or even know it, most of us continue to support the big food conglomerates. Here’s a look at some of the largest food companies in America and their (sometimes surprising) subsidiaries.

1. PepsiCo

Although calling Pepsi-Cola a “food” is disputable, PepsiCo reaches far beyond the world of soft drinks. The company has come a long way since its founding in 1898. PepsiCo brought in $44.3 billion in revenue last year. The company owns both the Gatorade and Propel brands of sports drinks, as well as Mountain Dew and SoBe beverage brands.

But more surprising, PepsiCo owns Frito-Lay, which produces an enormous variety of snack foods, including Ruffles, Lay’s, Tostitos and Fritos brands. Healthier eaters might be surprised to find out that Pepsi owns Tropicana, some lines of the TAZO juice and tea brand and Quaker – which produces such wholesome foods as oatmeal, Mother’s cereal and puffed wheat. And if you’re curious who’s winning the long-fought cola war – Coke or Pepsi – the Coca-Cola Company raked in just $31 billion in 2009.

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