CHICAGO — Fortune has named Archer Daniels Midland Co. No. 1 among food production companies in its annual list of most admired companies.
“We are proud to be acknowledged by our peers for our leadership in the food production industry,” said Juan Luciano, chief executive officer of Chicago-based ADM. “To be recognized for excellence in our work to serve our customers in the food industry speaks to the dedication of our 33,000 employees.”
Fortune develops the annual list by surveying board directors, executives and financial analysts. Nine key attributes considered are innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment value, quality of products/services and global competitiveness.
Fortune ranked ADM No. 1 among all food production companies in the attributes of social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness and long-term investment value.
Ingredion, Inc., Westchester, Ill., ranked second in the food production category while making the rankings for the sixth straight year. Fortune ranked Ingredion No. 1 among all food production companies in the attributes of innovation, people management and use of corporate assets.
“It’s an honor to once again be recognized as one of the world’s most admired companies,” said Ilene Gordon, chairman, president and c.e.o. of Ingredion. “It reflects our efforts to engage employees, satisfy customers and deliver shareholder value. We are proud of our long-standing, positive reputation, and it’s extremely rewarding to be recognized for our efforts.”
Bunge Ltd., White Plains, N.Y., ranked third among food production companies. Fortune ranked Bunge No. 1 among all food production companies in the attribute of global competitiveness.
The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, and Starbucks Corp., Seattle, were ranked No. 1 among beverage companies and food services companies, respectively. Computer company Apple was rated the most admired company overall.
