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Food stocks can be a good source of income. Companies in the food industry perform much better in a recession than other sectors as consumers still need to eat and drink, making food industry companies one of the most resilient groups.

These stocks likely won’t provide extraordinary gains, but they can offer consistent growth and market beating yields. These types of stocks can also help an investor balance out the more growth orientated portions of their portfolio.

The following 3 food stocks have high yields well above the S&P average.

Tyson Foods (TSN)

Tyson Foods, founded in 1935, is one the world’s largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef, and pork products. Tyson Foods sells products to leading grocery chains, food franchises, and military commissaries in over 100 countries.

Well-known brands include Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park and State Fair. The company generated $53.3 billion in revenue last year.

On May 5th, 2025, Tyson Foods released its Fiscal Q2 results for the period ending March 29th, 2025. For the quarter, sales came in at $13.1 billion, flat compared to Q2 2024. Chicken volumes rose by 3.0%, while beef, pork, and prepared foods volumes declined by 1.4%, 3.8%, and 2.6%, respectively.

Average selling prices increased in beef (8.2%), pork (4.3%), and prepared foods (2.3%), but fell in chicken (-1.1%) and international/other (-0.9%). Adjusted operating income was $515 million, up 27% compared to last year, while adjusted EPS stood at $0.92, marking a 48% year-over-year increase.

This performance reflected strong execution across the business, particularly in the chicken and prepared foods segments, and marked Tyson’s fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement in top and adjusted bottom-line results.

Strong operating cash flows, a historically successful capital allocation strategy, and strategic acquisition capabilities that have generated substantial returns on investment have been competitive advantages for Tyson Foods over the years.

TSN stock currently yields 3.6%.

General Mills (GIS)

General Mills has been in business for more than a century and has grown into one of the largest packaged goods companies during that time. The company has a market capitalization approaching $36 billion and annual revenues of $18 billion. 

General Mills has a number of category leading brands, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Yoplait, Haagen-Dazs, Annie’s and Bisquick. This gives the company a presence in almost every isle of the grocery store. General Mills also augmented its food business with its acquisition of pet food company Blue Buffalo.

In mid-March, General Mills reported (3/19/25) results for Q3-2025. Net sales and organic sales fell -5% each over the prior year’s quarter, primarily due to retailer inventory reductions. Gross margin expanded from 33.5% to 33.9%, as cost savings offset input inflation.

Adjusted earnings-per-share decreased -15%, from $1.18 to $1.00, but exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.04.

General Mills is facing tough comparisons, as the pandemic has subsided. It generates 85% of its sales from at-home food demand. It is also facing high inflation, which is likely to persist for a while. In addition, it is currently investing in its pet business to reinvigorate growth, at the expense of short-term earnings.

General Mills has grown its earnings-per-share at a 5.2% average annual rate in the last decade. In recent years, the company accelerated, though it has temporarily stumbled due to tough comparisons and cost inflation. We expect approximately 5.0% annual earnings-per-share growth over the next five years, mostly thanks to Blue Buffalo.

GIS stock yields 4.4%.

Flowers Foods (FLO)

Flowers Foods opened its first bakery in 1919 and has since become one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the United States, operating 46 bakeries in 18 states. Well-known brands include Wonder Bread, Home Pride, Nature’s Own, Dave’s Killer Bread, Tastykake and Canyon Bakehouse.

The company operates in two segments: Direct Store-Delivery (DSD) and Warehouse Delivery, with ~85% of the company’s product being delivered directly to stores. Fresh breads, buns, rolls, and tortillas make up about a three-fourths of the business, with sales channels split between Supermarkets, Mass Merchandisers, Foodservice, and Convenience Store.

On May 16th, 2025, Flowers Foods reported first quarter results for the period ending April 19th, 2025. For the quarter, revenue decreased 1.4% to $1.55 billion and was $50 million less than expected. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $0.35 compared to $0.38 last year and was $0.02 below estimates.

For the quarter, Branded Retail sales decreased 0.4% to $1.011 million as pricing was lower by 0.9% and volume was down 1.9%. Simple Mills added 2.4%. Other sales fell 3.3% to $543 million as a 0.4% benefit from pricing and mix was offset by a 3.7% decline in volume.

FLO has increased its dividend for 22 consecutive years. FLO stock currently yields 6.1%.

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