据美国国家统计局统计,美国有2.55万家食品、饮料和相关产品生产商,但雇员人数并不多,约有18.1万人。总体而言,美国近1/3的国内食品零售市场由24家公司占主导地位。尽管如此,美国的食品市场还是相当零散的。美国少数族裔移民与人口近年来大量增加,估计到2005年,非西语系的白人人口增长率将是5%,而非洲裔人口增长率会超过14%,西语系裔人口增长率将高达 According to the National Bureau of Statistics of the United States, there are 25,500 food, beverage and related products producers in the United States, but the number of employees is small, at about 181,000. Overall, nearly a third of the domestic food retail markets in the United States are dominated by 24 companies. In spite of this, the food market in the United States is quite fragmented. Ethnic minority immigrants and their populations in the United States have increased substantially in recent years. It is estimated that by 2005, the non-western white population growth rate will be 5%, while the African-American population growth rate will exceed 14%. The growth rate of ethnic descendants will be as high as