The recent slowdown in food inflation brings good news for consumers, but it presents challenges for staples companies. One such company feeling the pinch is Conagra Brands, a packaged food giant, which reported shrinking revenue for the first time since 2021. The company anticipates that this decline will continue throughout the year. As a result, the stock price of Conagra Brands dropped by 2.7%, affecting other food stocks as well. Campbell Soup shares declined by 2.1%, while General Mills fell by 0.9%. In the meantime, the S&P 500 experienced a 0.3% decrease in afternoon trading.
During the three months ending in November, Conagra Brands observed a 3.4% decrease in organic net sales compared to the previous year. While this drop can be attributed to declining volume, which is expected in an inflationary environment, the price mix of Conagra's products also declined by 0.5%.
CFO David Marberger addressed this decline, stating that consumers are increasingly purchasing cheaper items, thereby contributing to the overall decrease. He further expects this trend to persist in the forthcoming quarters.
This situation is in stark contrast to the first quarter of 2023, when Conagra Brands increased the price mix by 17% amidst rampant inflation. Despite an 8.4% decrease in consumer purchases due to the price hikes, the company still achieved substantial organic net sales growth of 8.6% during that quarter.
However, this positive trend is gradually coming to an end. Year-over-year food inflation for home food products has been consistently slowing down for the past 15 months. In November, this reading stood at just 1.7%, down significantly from the peak of 13.5% observed in August 2022.
The Challenge for Food Companies to Maintain Sales Growth
While food companies have seen sales growth fueled by inflation, they are now facing challenges in maintaining this momentum. With limited room for further price hikes, sales volume is likely to remain low. In fact, Conagra, a leading food company, has revised its forecast for fiscal 2024, expecting a decrease of 1% to 2% in organic net sales compared to the previously anticipated 1% growth.
Conagra's predicament is indicative of the wider industry trend. Campbell Soup and General Mills, two other major players in the food industry, recently reported their first sales decline in nearly two years. Despite the initial boost from rising prices, the decline in volume has outweighed any positive impact.
As a result, all three companies' stock prices have plummeted by more than 20% over the past year. This downward trend is expected to persist as the inflation-driven sales growth cycle comes to an end.
Furthermore, the situation may worsen in the future. Walmart CEO, Doug McMillon, expressed concerns about potential deflation in the U.S. food industry during an earnings call in November. After three years of price increases, a period of falling prices could be on the horizon.
While falling prices could lead to a modest increase in sales volume, it may not be enough to offset the negative effects. Consumers tend to delay purchases and restrict spending when they anticipate further price drops in the future. This hesitation creates a challenging situation for food companies.
Given these circumstances, food companies must find innovative solutions to maintain their sales growth in an increasingly competitive market.
More Articles
All Rights Reserved © 2024
Post a comment