About

We know that food is more than a necessity — it is a central part of our daily lives. Food provides enjoyment, comfort, and brings us together with those we care about. Our mission is to help you get the nutrition you need through products that are tasty, convenient and familiar.

Nourishment When You Need It Most®

At Hormel Health Labs, we are passionate about improving people’s lives through better food and nutrition. Our mission is clear — to provide great-tasting, affordable, and convenient nutrition. Whether you are a major healthcare center, a special care facility, a caregiver, or an individual, we are here to help with your dietary needs.

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What is Hormel Health Labs known for?

Most people know Hormel Health Labs through the tremendous popularity of our THICK & EASY® and MAGIC CUP® brand products, enjoyed by millions of people every week. Even more people have heard of Hormel Foods, the global branded foods company known for everything from SKIPPY® peanut butter and JENNIE-O® turkey to JUSTIN’S® nut butters, HORMEL® chili, and APPLEGATE® brands. As part of Hormel Foods, we combine the best resources in food, safety and nutrition science with a small-town team based in Austin, Minnesota that cares deeply about the work we do every day.

Hormel Health Labs is a leader in providing nutrition resources to people with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia), through our THICK & EASY® line of foods, beverages, and mixes designed to help people continue enjoy their favorite items safely and tastily.

We are also a leader in nutrition for people at risk of malnutrition, which spans many conditions, including cancer treatment, kidney disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease just to name a few. Through multiple product lines, we offer a wide variety of highly-fortified functional food and beverages.

Our Commitment to You

We value the trust you place in us to serve our food at your table. That’s a pretty high honor that we don’t take for granted. In return, we promise to work tirelessly until we get things right. We commit to paying attention to every detail. And our team will be here to support you every step of the way, whether to help you find solutions, answer your questions, or figure out how to meet your dietary or nutrition – large or small. Our commitment to quality means that you can trust that the products you try next week will be the same high quality and consistency as those you try today. In summary, we won’t let you down.

Our History

The Pioneers in Pureed Food Technology

When Hormel Health Labs introduced its first product in 1988, instant food thickeners were virtually unheard of. Most hospitals and nursing homes were serving pureed foods that were hard to swallow, and most pureed food patients were served a “mystery” bowl full of shapeless, unappealing, and watery concoctions.

The makers of THICK & EASY® Instant Food & Beverage Thickener developed a comprehensive methodology and support program for developing safer-to-swallow and more appetizing pureed foods. This completely changed the way pureed foods are prepared and served. As the market leader in the United States and in several dozen countries around the world, Hormel Health Labs’ pureed food products and programs have become the industry standard.

Hormel Health Labs pioneered the use of the now widely practiced “slurry” technique. This involves adding instant food thickener to a variety of liquids, then pouring it over the top of a non-modified consistency product. Examples are cookies, cereals, etc. This technique opened up a whole new world of appetizing ideas to the pureed diet.

Widely recognized as the worldwide leader for Dysphagia products with brands like THICK & EASY® Instant Food & Beverage Thickener and CLIFFDALE FARMS™ Pureed Foods, Hormel Health Labs also offers hundreds of other products designed to meet the needs presented by a variety of conditions. In 2001, Hormel Health Labs made several acquisitions which helped to round out our family of condition focused products. Our portfolio of supplements designed to treat Malnutrition is the broadest in the industry. Brands like MED PASS® Fortified Nutritional Shakes, MIGHTY SHAKES™ Fortified Supplements, and GREAT SHAKE™ Fortified Soy Supplements products are all recognized as leaders in their respective categories.

Hormel Health Labs also offers hundreds of general Healthful Items which are designed with the healthcare market in mind. From our HERB-OX® broths to our great tasting HORMEL VITAL CUISINE® shake mixes, cooking for your residents has never been easier or better tasting! For residents that require enteral nutrition, we offer a family of critical care products formulated with essential nutrients and proteins.

Today, Hormel Health Labs is well known as a leading supplier of condition-specific food and nutrition products for the healthcare and long-term care communities. No matter which of our products you’re interested in, two things will be very clear – our commitment to high quality and our commitment to great taste!