The Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is an American global food processing and commodities trading corporation, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.[2][3][4] The company operates more than 270 plants and 420 crop procurement facilities worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial, and animal feed markets worldwide. It was named the world’s most-admired food-production company by Fortune magazine for three consecutive years: 2009, 2010 and 2011.[5] ADM ranked No. 48 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.[6] The company also provides agricultural storage and transportation services. The American River Transportation Company along with ADM Trucking, Inc., are subsidiaries of ADM.

General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. It is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known North American brands, including Gold Medal flour, Annie’s Homegrown, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totino’s, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Häagen-Dazs, Cheerios, Trix, Cocoa Puffs, and Lucky Charms. Its brand portfolio includes more than 89 other leading U.S. brands and numerous category leaders around the world.

Sysco Corporation (an acronym for Systems and Services Company) is an American multinational corporation involved in marketing and distributing food products, smallwares, kitchen equipment and tabletop items to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, hospitality businesses like hotels and inns, and wholesale to other companies that provide foodservice (like Aramark and Sodexo). The company is headquartered in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas.[2] Sysco, an acronym for Systems and Services Company, is the world’s largest broadline food distributor; it has more than 600,000 clients in a wide array of fields. Management consulting is also an integral part of their services. The company operates approximately 330 distribution facilities worldwide; providing service to over 90 countries. The company was founded by Herbert Irving, John F. Baugh and Harry Rosenthal in 1969.[3] The company became public on March 3, 1970. On July 20, 2009, Fortune magazine ranked Sysco No. 204 in the annual Fortune 500 companies in world based on sales volume. On May 3, 2010, Fortune ranked Sysco as the 7th largest Fortune 500 Company in Texas and 55th largest in the U.S. by total revenue.[4] Sysco is also the largest non-oil related company in Houston and the third largest non-tech related company in Texas (behind AT&T and Dell).[4] The company ranked No. 54 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.[5] In December 2013, Sysco announced an $8.2 billion planned acquisition of its next-largest food distribution rival, US Foods.[6] The Federal Trade Commission challenged the acquisition as a violation of the Clayton Antitrust Act that would substantially lessen competition. The court ruled that the combined company would likely reduce competition because it would control 75% of the U.S. food service industry, Sysco terminated its merger with US Foods.

US Foods (formerly known as U.S. Foodservice) is an American foodservice distributor. With approximately $24 billion in annual revenue,[4] US Foods was the 10th largest private company in America until its IPO. Many of the entities that make up US Foods were founded in the 19th century, including one that sold provisions to travelers heading west during the 1850s gold rush. The company used the name U.S. Foodservice until 1993. US Foods offers more than 350,000 national brand products and its own “exclusive brand” items, ranging from fresh meats and produce to prepackaged and frozen foods. The company employs approximately 25,200 people in more than 60 locations nationwide, and provides food and related products to more than 250,000 customers, including independent and multi-unit restaurants, healthcare and hospitality entities, government and educational institutions. The company is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, and is a publicly held company trading under the ticker symbol USFD on the New York Stock Exchange.[5] On 9th December, 2013, Sysco Corp announced it would buy US Foods for $8.2 billion ($3.5 billion plus $4.7 billion of debt),[6] but in June 24, 2015, US Federal Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the combined Sysco-US Foods would control 75% of the U.S. foodservice industry and that will stifle competition. On June 29, 2015, Sysco terminated its merger with US Foods.