Minnesota › Manufacturing › 5,000 to 24,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 28 Oct 2024 to 26 Oct 2025
Hormel Foods Corporation Pension Plan
Sponsored by Hormel Foods Corporation, Austin, MN
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
In the plan year ending 26 Oct 2025, Hormel Foods Corporation Pension Plan covered 11,782 participants and held $1.04B in net assets. The plan is a cash balance pension plan sponsored by Hormel Foods Corporation of Austin, Minnesota.
Net assets came to $87,954 per participant, close to the $87,623 median for defined benefit plans with 5,000 to 24,999 participants and well above the $67,961 median for defined benefit plans in manufacturing. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Schedule C lists 8 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $1.3M: $112 per participant, well below the same-size median of $232. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $3.7M. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $616M in 2010 to $1.04B in 2024 (up 68%), and participants from 6,515 to 11,782 (up 81%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $87,954 | $87,623 | $67,961 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $9,468 | $6,915 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $112 | $232 | $299 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.13% | 0.30% | 0.47% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $315 | $396 | $498 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 5,000 to 24,999 participants (651 plans), manufacturing (1,532) and all US plans (5,308). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11,782 | $1.04B | $87,954 | — | — | $1.3M |
| 2023 | 11,855 | $985M | $83,077 | — | — | $1.2M |
| 2022 | 11,798 | $880M | $74,548 | — | — | $2.4M |
| 2021 | 7,407 | $926M | $125,044 | — | — | $2.8M |
| 2020 | 7,285 | $1.27B | $173,983 | — | — | $3.0M |
| 2019 | 7,054 | $1.16B | $163,997 | — | — | $2.1M |
| 2018 | 7,808 | $1.10B | $140,476 | $0 | — | $3.3M |
| 2017 | 7,714 | $967M | $125,352 | $0 | — | $3.6M |
| 2016 | 7,549 | $1.02B | $134,892 | $11.7M | — | $3.1M |
| 2015 | 7,315 | $907M | $123,949 | $12.7M | — | $3.4M |
| 2014 | 7,530 | $870M | $115,578 | $22.7M | — | $3.7M |
| 2013 | 6,999 | $853M | $121,836 | $21.3M | — | $3.8M |
| 2011 | 6,669 | $676M | $101,314 | $22.6M | — | $3.3M |
| 2010 | 6,515 | $616M | $94,602 | $23.5M | — | $3.2M |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$984,883,233
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$0
- Total income, including investment results$112,446,398
- Benefits paid$57,345,879
- Administrative expenses$3,705,823
- Total expenses$61,051,702
- Net income$51,394,696
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$1,036,277,929
Participants
- Active participants7,292
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits2,460
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits1,627
- Total participants, end of year11,782
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meketa Fiduciary Management | Consulting (pension); Investment advisory (plan); Named fiduciary | $666,984 | $0 |
| CBIZ Retirement Plan Services | Contract Administrator; Recordkeeping and information management | $256,016 | $0 |
| US Bank NA | Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution) | $255,240 | $0 |
| Willis Towers Watson | Actuarial; Consulting (pension) | $69,182 | $0 |
| Pension Benefit Information LLC | Participant communication | $39,782 | $0 |
| Ernst & Young LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $23,182 | $0 |
| Via Actuarial | Actuarial | $10,979 | $0 |
| Dorsey & Whitney LLP | Legal | $3,181 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Investment advisory and management fees$1,709,446
- Other administrative expenses$1,378,598
- Recordkeeping fees$256,016
- Trustee and custodial fees$255,240
- Actuarial fees$69,182
- IQPA audit fees$23,182
- Contract administrator fees$10,978
- Legal fees$3,181
- Total administrative expenses$3,705,823
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Master trust investment accounts$1.04B · 100.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmErnst & Young LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $10,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
1ABenefits are primarily pay related1CCash balance or similar plan3HPlan sponsor(s) is (are) a member(s) of a controlled group
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 311610: Animal Slaughtering and Processing.
Other plans of Hormel Foods Corporation
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Hormel Foods Corporation Hourly Employees' Pension Plan | 7,634 | $351M |
| Hormel Foods Corporation Tax Deferred Investment Plan a * | 6,768 | $1.28B |
| Hormel Foods Corporation Joint Earnings Profit Sharing Trust | 5,674 | $418M |
| Hormel Foods Corporation Tax Deferred Investment Plan B | 4,044 | $192M |
Similar plans in Minnesota
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Mills Pension Plan | General Mills, Inc. | 16,513 | $1.52B | $91,894 |
| Medtronic Retirement Plan | Medtronic, Inc. | 11,282 | $1.52B | $134,393 |
| General Mills Pension Plan I | General Mills, Inc. | 22,179 | $3.71B | $167,122 |
| Medtronic Retirement Plan for Certain Participants and Beneficiaries | Medtronic, Inc. | 11,208 | $2.44B | $217,354 |
| 3M Employee Retirement Income Plan | 3M Company | 25,001 | $8.23B | $329,179 |
| Land O'Lakes, Inc. Employee Retirement Plan | Land O'Lakes, Inc. | 9,990 | $860M | $86,110 |
Defined benefit plans in manufacturing closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Hormel Foods Corporation Pension Plan?
11,782 participants at the end of the plan year ending 26 Oct 2025, of whom 7,292 were active employees, with net assets of $1,036,277,929. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 5,000 to 24,999 participants band, which held 651 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Hormel Foods Corporation contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $1,324,546 in compensation to service provider organisations, $112 per participant or 0.13% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $232 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $3,705,823. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Hormel Foods Corporation. Recordkeeping or administration: CBIZ Retirement Plan Services. Investment advisory or management: Meketa Fiduciary Management. Trustee or custodian: US Bank NA. The financial statements were audited by Ernst & Young LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 28 Oct 2024 to 26 Oct 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 28 Jul 2026. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 41-0319970, plan 001, received 28 Jul 2026; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.