Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale — fresh off announcing a new leadership team — unveiled a new corporate logo and more details about its growth strategy Tuesday morning at the 2017 Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference in Boca Raton, Florida.
CEO Tom Hayes and Sally Grimes, president of Tyson's North American retail operations, charted the publicly traded meat processor's path in a presentation emphasizing sustainability, technology and the company's value-added and branded products.
One of the keys to growth: fresh foods. Grimes said that while fresh foods is functioning as a commodity right now, Tyson can find growth by applying a branded model to it. She noted that 74 percent of supermarket growth is taking place in fresh, unpackaged foods — items often found in the perimeter of grocery store.
Appearing on CNBC later this morning, Hayes said that perimeter is ripe for Tyson to find growth.
"We have so much potential in the fresh food space — it's where the shopper is going today. The perimeter of the store is where all the action is; the center of the store is dying," he said. "So we are doing everything to build fresh foods."
The executives also laid out strategies to find profit while building a sustainable food system, aiming to deliver healthier food, animals, workplaces and environment.
"As we make the right investments for the future, they'll pay for themselves in the present," Hayes said during the presentation.
Goals in that initiative include expanding its "no-antibiotics ever" chicken offerings, reducing workplace injuries and illnesses by 15 percent year over year, setting "science-based" sustainability goals and improving how chickens are raised.
It was also clear from the presentation just how transformative the $8.55 billion acquisition of Hillshire Brands in 2014 is to the company.
Tyson Foods has reoriented its management team to better focus on higher margin value-added branded products, and it aims to roll out more of those products in the coming months.
The portfolio is aimed at a consumer whose eating habits have changed from three square meals per day to "on demand" eating that takes place throughout the day — a lifestyle that might find Tyson's array of packaged protein products attractive.
In all, Hayes said Tyson aims to "lead for tomorrow by growing its portfolio of protein-packed brands and delivering sustainable food at scale."
"The purpose of our company is to raise the world's expectations for how much good food can do, and we're uniquely positioned to deliver just that," he said.
Below, video of Hayes' full CNBC interview, which also includes his comments about a U.S. Securities and Exchange investigation tied to a lawsuit that alleges the company colluded to fix chicken prices. Hayes called the claims "baseless" and that they represented "plaintiffs' lawyers grasping at straws."
Tom Hayes on CNBC