When combined, the grain-based snack and bakery industry in the U.S., as covered in Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, accounts for over $100 billion in annual sales—and that’s just at retail. The snack and bakery categories we cover in these pages are anchors—hugely influential areas of food that grace pantries and tables the world over.

Now in its third year, the “Top 50 Snack & Bakery Companies” on our list all have varying degrees of focus on snack foods and baked goods for the U.S. market (listed revenue comprises total company sales for the noted year, globally where applicable, in U.S. dollars).

The top company on the list, Nestlé—which is the largest food company in the world—saw growth during fiscal 2017—from $87.8 billion in 2016 to $90.8. That said, Mark Schneider, CEO, reported that 2017 sales growth was below expectations due to challenging markets in the U.S. and Brazil, but that sales growth in Europe and Asia was “encouraging.”

PepsiCo, second on the list, grew by approximately 1 percent. The company reports that it built on the success of its Frito-Lay Simply brand with new products like Simply Doritos White Cheddar. As of 2017, PepsiCo deems that 50 percent of its total product portfolio is “better for you” or “good for you,” a significant change over the past decade.

Campbell Soup Co. climbed up one slot on the Top 50 despite a slight loss. This was possible due to a more-significant revenue decline at Conagra Brands, primarily due to its spinoff of its Lamb Weston business into an independent company, and divestiture of the Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings and JM Swank businesses in early fiscal 2017.

Arca Continental saw a significant jump from fiscal 2016 to 2017. Although the bulk of its business is tied to bottling Coca-Cola Co. products in Latin America, the company has owned Wise Snacks since 2012, and also acquired Deep River Snacks in late 2017. Arca noted that its snack business saw growth thanks to new placement of a Wise Snacks popcorn variety pack in Walmart stores.

In June 2018, The Wonderful Co. announced that it had grown at a rate of 13 percent, claiming a crown as the No. 1 growth leader among all multibillion-dollar CPG companies. The company reports that it accomplished this growth by developing differentiated offerings, targeting consumers with greater precision and expanding into new markets.

For fiscal 2017, B&G Foods sales increased 20 percent to $1.7 billion, more than doubling the size of its business in three years. It climbed from No. 27 to No. 25 on the Top 50. During 2017, B&G Foods saw a revenue jump thanks in part to its acquisition of Back to Nature, which has a presence in cookies, crackers and nuts/trail mix, as well as other categories.

Quest Nutrition has skyrocketed to success over the past few years, with tremendous gains across its bar business—and now also offers protein-fortified chips and pizza. The company was founded in 2010 and has grown to an estimated value of over $1.0 billion.

 J&J Snack Foods Corp. grew 7 percent from fiscal 2016 to 2017. Growth came from strong performance in the foodservice channel—particularly soft pretzels, churros and handhelds—and via acquisitions of Hill & Valley, which supplies the in-store bakery channel, and Labriola Baking, a producer of specialty breads and soft pretzels.