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ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

OCTOBER 30, 2011

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

x      ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended October 30, 2011

or

o         TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                                   to                                      

Commission File Number: 1-2402

HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (507) 437-5611

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months, and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulations S-T during the preceding 12 months.  Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes o No x

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of May 1, 2011 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was $4,044,692,392 based on the closing price of $29.41 per share on that date.

As of December 2, 2011, the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock was as follows:

Common Stock, $.0293 Par Value — 264,037,493 shares

Common Stock Non-Voting, $.01 Par Value — 0 shares

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Annual Stockholders’ Report for the fiscal year ended October 30, 2011, are incorporated by reference into Part I, Items 1 and 1A and Part II, Items 5-8 and 9A, and included as Exhibit 13.1 filed herewith.

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held January 31, 2012, are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10-14.

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HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION

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PART I

Item 1.  BUSINESS

(a)  General Development of Business

Hormel Foods Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the Company), was founded by George A. Hormel in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, as George A. Hormel & Company.  The Company started as a processor of meat and food products and continues in this line of business.  The Company name was changed to Hormel Foods Corporation on January 31, 1995.  The Company is primarily engaged in the production of a variety of meat and food products and the marketing of those products throughout the United States and internationally.  Although pork and turkey remain the major raw materials for its products, the Company has emphasized for several years the manufacturing and distribution of branded, value-added consumer items rather than the commodity fresh meat business.  The Company has continually expanded its product portfolio through organic growth, new product development, and acquisitions.

Internationally, the Company markets its products through Hormel Foods International Corporation (HFIC), a wholly owned subsidiary.  HFIC has a presence in the international marketplace through joint ventures and placement of personnel in strategic foreign locations such as Australia, Canada, China, Japan, and the Philippines.  HFIC also has a global presence with minority positions in food companies in Mexico (Hormel Alimentos, 50% holding) and the Philippines (Purefoods-Hormel, 40% holding), and in a hog production and processing operation in Vietnam (San Miguel Purefoods (Vietnam) Co. Ltd., 49% holding).

On October 26, 2009, the Company completed the formation of MegaMex Foods, LLC (MegaMex), a 50 percent owned joint venture which markets Mexican Foods in the United States.  During the Company’s fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, MegaMex acquired Don Miguel Foods Corp., a leading provider of branded frozen and fresh authentic Mexican appetizers, snacks, and hand-held items.  During the Company’s fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, MegaMex also acquired Fresherized Foods, which produces Wholly Guacamole®, Wholly Salsa®, and Wholly Queso® products.

The Company has not been involved in any bankruptcy, receivership, or similar proceedings during its history.  Substantially all the assets of the Company have been acquired in the ordinary course of business.

The Company had no significant change in the type of products produced or services rendered, or in the markets or methods of distribution since the beginning of the 2011 fiscal year.

(b)  Segments

The Company’s business is reported in five segments: Grocery Products, Refrigerated Foods, Jennie-O Turkey Store (JOTS), Specialty Foods, and All Other.  Net sales to unaffiliated customers and operating profit, and the presentation of certain other financial information by segment, are reported in Note O of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of the Annual Stockholder’s Report for the fiscal year ended October 30, 2011, incorporated herein by reference.

(c)  Description of Business

Products and Distribution

The Company’s products primarily consist of meat and other food products.  The meat products are sold fresh, frozen, cured, smoked, cooked, and canned.  The percentages of total revenues contributed by classes of similar products for the last three fiscal years of the Company are as follows:

Reporting of revenues from external customers is based on similarity of products, as the same or similar products are sold across multiple distribution channels such as retail, foodservice, or international.  Revenues reported are based on financial information used to produce the Company’s general-purpose financial statements.

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Perishable meat includes fresh meats, refrigerated meal solutions, sausages, hams, wieners, and bacon (excluding JOTS products). The Poultry category is composed primarily of JOTS products.  Shelf-stable includes canned luncheon meats, shelf-stable microwaveable entrees, stews, chilies, hash, meat spreads, flour and corn tortillas, salsas, tortilla chips, and other items that do not require refrigeration.  The Other category primarily consists of nutritional food products and supplements, sugar and sugar substitutes, creamers, salt and pepper products, sauces and salad dressings, dessert and drink mixes, and industrial gelatin products.

Domestically, the Company sells its products in all 50 states.  The Company’s products are sold through its sales personnel, operating in assigned territories coordinated from sales offices located in most of the larger U.S. cities, as well as independent brokers and distributors.  Dedicated sales teams also serve major retail customers and coordinate sales of both Grocery Products and Refrigerated Foods products.  As of October 30, 2011, the Company had approximately 660 sales personnel engaged in selling its products.  Distribution of products to customers is primarily by common carrier.

Through HFIC, the Company markets its products in various locations throughout the world.  Some of the larger markets include Australia, Canada, China, England, Japan, Mexico, Micronesia, the Philippines, and South Korea.  The distribution of export sales to customers is by common carrier, while the China operations own and operate their own delivery system.  The Company, through HFIC, has licensed companies to manufacture various Company products internationally on a royalty basis, with the primary licensees being Tulip International of Denmark and CJ CheilJedang Corporation of South Korea.

Raw Materials

The Company has, for the past several years, been concentrating on processed branded products for consumers with year-round demand to minimize the seasonal variation experienced with commodity-type products.  Pork continues to be the primary raw material for Company products.  Although the live pork industry has evolved to large, vertically integrated, year-round operations, and supply contracts have become prevalent in the industry, there is still a seasonal variation in the supply of fresh pork materials.  The Company’s expanding line of processed items has reduced, but not eliminated, the sensitivity of Company results to raw material supply and price fluctuations.

The majority of the hogs harvested by the Company are purchased under supply contracts from producers located principally in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.  The cost of hogs and the utilization of the Company’s facilities are affected by both the level and the methods of pork production in the United States.  The movement toward year-round operations, which operate under supply agreements with processors, has resulted in fewer hogs being available on the spot cash market.  The Company, like others in the industry, uses supply contracts to manage the effects of this trend and to ensure a stable supply of raw materials.  The Company has converted the majority of its contracts to market-based formulas to better match input costs with customer pricing, and all contract costs are fully reflected in the Company’s reported financial statements.  In fiscal 2011, the Company purchased 95 percent of its hogs under supply contracts.  The Company also procures a portion of its hogs through farms that it either owns or operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming.

In fiscal 2011, JOTS raised turkeys representing approximately 72 percent of the volume needed to meet its raw material requirements for whole bird and processed turkey products.  Turkeys not sourced within the Company are contracted with independent turkey growers.  JOTS’ turkey-raising farms are located throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Production costs in raising hogs and turkeys are subject primarily to fluctuations in feed grain prices and, to a lesser extent, fuel costs.  To manage this risk, the Company hedges a portion of its anticipated purchases of grain using futures contracts.

Manufacturing

The Company has three plants that harvest hogs for processing.  Quality Pork Processors, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, operates the harvesting facility at Austin, Minnesota, under a custom harvesting arrangement.  The Company has seven turkey harvest and processing operations, and 38 facilities that produce and distribute other manufactured items.  Albert Lea Select Foods, Inc. operates the processing facility at Albert Lea, Minnesota, under a custom manufacturing agreement.  Company products are also custom manufactured by several other companies.  The following are the Company’s larger custom manufacturers: Mrs. Clark’s Foods, Ankeny, Iowa; Steuben Foods, Jamaica, New York; Park 10, Kokomo, Indiana; Wells’ Dairy, Inc., Le Mars, Iowa; Lakeside Packing Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin; Agropur Division Natrel USA, Maplewood, Minnesota; Reichel Foods, Rochester, Minnesota; Power Packaging, St. Charles, Illinois; Tony Downs, St. James, Minnesota; and Reser’s Fine Foods, Topeka, Kansas.  Exel, Inc., based in Westerville, Ohio, operates distribution centers for the Company in Dayton, Ohio, and Osceola, Iowa.

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Patents and Trademarks

There are numerous patents and trademarks that are important to the Company’s business.  The Company holds 47 U.S.-issued and six foreign patents.  Most of the trademarks are registered.  Some of the more significant owned or licensed trademarks used by the Company or its affiliates are:

HORMEL, ALWAYS TENDER, AMERICAN CLASSICS, AUSTIN BLUES, BANGKOK PADANG, BLACK LABEL, BREAD READY, BÚFALO, CAFÉ H, CALIFORNIA NATURAL, CHI-CHI’S, COMPLEATS, COUNTRY CROCK, CURE 81, CUREMASTER, DAN’S PRIZE, DI LUSSO, DINTY MOORE, DODGER DOG, DON MIGUEL, DOÑA MARIA, DUBUQUE, EMBASA, FARMER JOHN, FAST ‘N EASY, HERB-OX, HERDEZ, HIBACHI GRILL, HOMELAND, HOUSE OF TSANG, JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE, KID’S KITCHEN, LA VICTORIA, LAYOUT, LITTLE SIZZLERS, LLOYD’S, MAGNIFOODS, MANNY’S, MARRAKESH EXPRESS, MARY KITCHEN, NATURAL CHOICE, NATURASELECT, OLD SMOKEHOUSE, PELOPONNESE, PILLOW PACK, POCO PAC, PREP CHEF, PREMORO, RANGE BRAND, RICO OLE’, ROSA GRANDE, SAAG’S, SANDWICH MAKER, SAUCY BLUES, SPAM, SPAMTASTIC, STAGG, TEZZATA, THICK & EASY, VALLEY FRESH, WHOLLY GUACAMOLE, WHOLLY QUESO, WHOLLY SALSA, and WRANGLERS.

Country Crock® remains a registered trademark of the Unilever Group of Companies and is being used under license.

The Company’s patents expire after a term that is typically 20 years from the date of filing, with earlier expiration possible based on the Company’s decision to pay required maintenance fees.  As long as the Company intends to continue using its trademarks, they are renewed indefinitely.

Customers and Backlog Orders

During fiscal year 2011, sales to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-Mart) represented approximately 12.5 percent of the Company’s revenues (measured as gross sales less returns and allowances), compared to 13.0 percent in fiscal 2010.  Wal-Mart is a customer for all five segments of the Company.  The five largest customers in each segment make up approximately the following percentage of segment sales: 45 percent of Grocery Products, 35 percent of Refrigerated Foods, 37 percent of JOTS, 45 percent of Specialty Foods, and 24 percent of All Other.  The loss of one or more of the top customers in any of these segments could have a material adverse effect on the results of such segment.  Backlog orders are not significant due to the perishable nature of a large portion of the products.  Orders are accepted and shipped on a current basis.

Competition

The production and sale of meat and food products in the United States and internationally are highly competitive.  The Company competes with manufacturers of pork and turkey products, as well as national and regional producers of other meat and protein sources, such as beef, chicken, and fish.  The Company believes that its largest domestic competitors for its Refrigerated Foods segment in 2011 were Tyson Foods and Smithfield Foods; for its Grocery Products segment, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, and Campbell Soup Co.; and for JOTS, Cargill, Inc. and Butterball, LLC.

All segments compete on the basis of price, product quality, brand identification, breadth of product line, and customer service.  Through aggressive marketing and strong quality assurance programs, the Company’s strategy is to provide higher quality products that possess strong brand recognition, which would then support higher value perceptions from customers.

The Company competes using this same strategy in international markets around the world.

Research and Development

Research and development continues to be a vital part of the Company’s strategy to extend existing brands and expand into new branded items.  The expenditures for research and development for fiscal 2011, 2010, and 2009, were approximately $29.4 million, $27.6 million, and $25.4 million, respectively.   There are 113 employees engaged in full time research and development, 48 in the area of improving existing products and 65 in developing new products.

Employees

As of October 30, 2011, the Company had approximately 19,500 active domestic and foreign employees.

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(d) Geographic Areas

Financial information about geographic areas, including total revenues attributed to the U.S. and all foreign countries in total for the last three fiscal years of the Company, is reported in Note O of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of the Annual Stockholder’s Report for the fiscal year ended October 30, 2011, incorporated herein by reference.

(e) Available Information

The Company makes available, free of charge on its Web site at www.hormelfoods.com, its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  These reports are accessible under the caption, “Investors — SEC Filings” on the Company’s Web site and are available as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The documents noted above are also available in print, free of charge, to any stockholder who requests them.

(f) Executive Officers of the Registrant

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(f)  Executive Officers of the Registrant-Continued

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(f)  Executive Officers of the Registrant-Continued

No family relationship exists among the executive officers.

Executive officers are elected annually by the Board of Directors at the first meeting following the Annual Meeting of Stockholders.  Vacancies may be filled and additional officers elected at any time.

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Item 1A.  RISK FACTORS

Information on the Company’s risk factors included in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations on pages 27 through 29 of the Annual Stockholders’ Report for the fiscal year ended October 30, 2011, is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

Item 2.  PROPERTIES

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Item 2.  PROPERTIES — Continued

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Item 2.  PROPERTIES — Continued