Prepared foods is a key growth priority for JBS USA, with investments in brands, innovation and manufacturing capacity designed to meet rising consumer demand for convenient, high-quality protein products.
Sergio Nahuz, President of Prepared Foods at JBS USA and Pilgrim’s, provides his insight about where the prepared foods business is headed – and why he believes the biggest chapter is still ahead.
Q: For readers who may not be familiar with the prepared foods side of JBS, can you walk us through what that business looks like today?
A: While JBS is certainly a market leader in fresh beef and pork, our prepared foods business tells an equally compelling story about where the American consumer is today. Our portfolio is already in millions of homes, spanning chicken, pork, and beef. From clean-label brands like Just Bare, which has experienced remarkable growth, to bacon, deli meats, sous vide, Italian meats and fully cooked offerings across retail and foodservice channels, we provide consumers with high-quality protein options for a wide range of occasions throughout the day. Our job is to continue growing this business in a way that delivers value for our consumers, retail and foodservice partners, while aligning with JBS’s long-term vision for operational excellence and sustainable growth.
Q: There’s been a lot of conversation recently about a “protein craze.” What are you actually seeing from where you sit, and is “craze” even the right word?
A: I’m not sure I would use the word “craze.” What we are seeing is a fundamental, structural shift in how people approach nutrition. This is driven by several powerful, long-term factors. You have major health institutions reorienting nutritional guidance to emphasize the role of protein in a healthy diet. You have new classes of medications, like GLP-1s, where medical guidance stresses higher protein intake to preserve essential muscle mass during weight loss. And, perhaps most importantly, you have younger generations, Millennials and Gen Z, who are prioritizing protein earlier and more consistently than any generation before them.
For us, that means thinking beyond simply producing protein. Consumers want protein in formats that fit their lifestyles, whether that’s ready-to-eat, easy-to-prepare or portable options that make healthy choices more convenient. We see a tremendous opportunity to innovate and move faster, bringing new products to market that meet consumers where they are and how they live.
Q: Just Bare crossed $1 billion in annual retail sales in 2025 — a remarkable milestone for a brand that’s less than a decade old. What’s behind that growth?
A: The success of Just Bare has been incredible to watch. Reaching $1 billion in annual retail sales is a milestone, but what’s even more exciting is the momentum behind it. Just Bare has been the fastest-growing brand in the category, with the highest velocity in the fully cooked chicken category, which is a $7 billion industry. In just five years, its market share grew from 1% to 15%, and it’s become a leader in the fully cooked chicken segment.
What’s behind that growth is a simple but powerful formula: we listened to consumers and delivered exactly what they were looking for. Consumers increasingly want high-quality protein options made with simple, recognizable ingredients, but they also want convenience. Products like our Oven Roasted line offer a combination of quality, taste and ease that fits how people actually eat today. The JBS platform gives us the scale to innovate faster and the operational strength to meet that surging demand. For us, $1 billion isn’t a finish line, it’s a foundation for future growth.
Q: JBS recently announced major new prepared foods investments across Georgia and Iowa. What does that signal about where you see this business going?
A: These investments reflect our confidence in prepared foods as a key driver for future growth for JBS. We’re building out capacity and capabilities in a focused way to meet rising demand for convenient, value-added protein. The $400 million investment in our new Walker County, Georgia facility is a clear example. That plant is being designed to support the continued growth of the Just Bare brand and better serve our retail and foodservice customers. At the same time, we’re building a new facility in Perry, Iowa, adding fresh sausage capacity there and increasing fully cooked bacon and sausage production in Ankeny, Iowa. Taken together, these are strategic investments that strengthen the breadth and reach of our prepared foods platform and position us to grow the market over the long-term.
Q: When you think about what consumers want today — how they shop, how they cook — how does that shape your innovation priorities?
A: The core insight is simple: people want protein, and they want it to be easy. Protein is no longer just the centerpiece of dinner. Consumers are looking for high-quality protein options across a variety of occasions, whether that’s a quick breakfast before work, a convenient afternoon snack, an easy weeknight meal, or something they’re proud to serve when entertaining family and friends.
That’s why ready-to-cook and fully cooked formats remain a major focus. Consumers want convenience, but they don’t want to sacrifice quality, taste or nutrition. At the same time, clean labels are non-negotiable. People are reading ingredient lists more carefully than ever and want to trust what they feed themselves and their families. Our innovation pipeline is built around that intersection of protein, convenience, transparency and versatility, creating products that meet consumers wherever and whenever they choose to enjoy protein.
Q: The JBS prepared foods portfolio spans chicken, pork, and beef. How do you think about that breadth as a competitive advantage?
A: It’s a huge advantage. Most companies in the prepared foods space are concentrated in a single protein, like chicken or pork. JBS has a leading position across all three major proteins, while also competing across a broad range of prepared foods segments, from ready-to-cook and fully cooked products to snacking, breakfast and meal solutions. That breadth gives us a unique view into how consumer preferences are evolving across the marketplace.
More importantly, it allows us to generate meaningful consumer insights at scale and use those insights to inform our innovation pipeline. We can see where consumers are looking for more convenience, where they’re seeking cleaner labels, how they’re incorporating protein into different occasions throughout the day, and what trends are gaining momentum. Those insights help shape the products we develop, the investments we make and how we bring innovation to market.
Q: Where do you see prepared foods within JBS in the next few years?
A: My goal is for prepared foods to be one of the defining growth stories for JBS. We want to be in more consumers’ homes and for the JBS portfolio of brands to be the first one they reach for. The ambition is to be the undisputed partner of choice for our retail and foodservice partners as protein continues to play a larger role in how Americans eat.
What excites me most is that we have a unique combination of scale and agility. We have the resources, supply chain and operational capabilities of one of the world’s largest food companies, but we’re building a culture that thinks and acts with a startup mindset, staying close to consumers, moving quickly and bringing innovation to market faster. That allows us to identify emerging trends, develop solutions that meet evolving needs and execute at scale.
The brands, capabilities and investments we’re building today position us to lead the next chapter of growth in prepared foods and to be the partner our customers turn to for innovation, speed and execution.
Fast Facts: JBS USA Prepared Foods
- $1 billion+ in annual retail sales for Pilgrim’s Just Bare brand in 2025.
- 15% market share in the fully cooked chicken category, up from 1% in five years.
- $400 million investment in a new prepared foods facility in Walker County, Georgia.
- Multi-protein portfolio spanning chicken, pork and beef across retail and foodservice channels.
- Prepared foods expansion underway in Iowa, including new capacity for sausage and fully cooked bacon products.
- Products for every occasion, from breakfast and snacking to meal solutions and entertaining.
- Prepared foods is a key growth platform for JBS USA’s long-term strategy.
