Food and Beverage Production

The food and beverage industry is one of the largest areas of employment in the United States. The industry includes people who work on farms or in vineyards and for food and beverage processing companies; food- and beverage-related research laboratories; food and beverage wholesale and retail companies; restaurants, railroads and trucks that transport food and beverages; or agencies that prepare advertising for food and beverages. Others work in hundreds of other companies that supply goods or services vital in converting raw farm crops into ready-to-use foods or bottled beverages. The food and beverage manufacturing and processing industry provided nearly 1.6 million jobs as of 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.