Analysis
NAICS 31194 is the 2022 NAICS industry for seasoning and dressing manufacturing, part of 3119 (Other Food Manufacturing). Census lists 42 example activities under it in the official index.
Census lists 11 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 31142, 31199, 31142 and 31199. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
County Business Patterns counts 849 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 50,398 people at an average annual payroll of $71,375 per employee (55th percentile of national industries). 34% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
Across its national industries Census lists 42 index entries; typical ones are cheese based salad dressing manufacturing and cake frosting mixes manufacturing.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 8% and employment rose 24%. The 2018 count used NAICS 2017, so part of a large move can come from codes being redefined rather than from businesses opening or closing.
Its goods appear in 58 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 0904 (pepper of the genus Piper; dried or crushed or ground…), 0910 (ginger, saffron, turmeric (curcuma), thyme, bay leaves…) and 2103 (sauces and preparations therefore; mixed condiments and…). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) manufacturing dressings and sauces, such as mayonnaise, salad dressing, vinegar, mustard, horseradish, soy sauce, tartar sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and other prepared sauces (except tomato-based and gravies); (2) manufacturing spices, table salt, seasoning, and flavoring extracts (except coffee and meat), and natural food colorings; and (3) manufacturing dry mix food preparations, such as salad dressing mixes, gravy and sauce mixes, frosting mixes, and other dry mix preparations.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing catsup and other tomato-based sauces | 31142 Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying |
| Mixing purchased dried and/or dehydrated potato, rice, and pasta and packaging them with other purchased ingredients, and manufacturing prepared frosting | 31199 All Other Food Manufacturing |
| Drying and/or dehydrating ingredients for dry soup mixes and bouillon | 31142 Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying |
| Mixing purchased dried and/or dehydrated ingredients for dry soup mixes and bouillon | 31199 All Other Food Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing industrial salts | 32599 All Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing flavoring syrups (except chocolate and coffee-based syrups) | 31193 Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing synthetic food colorings | 32513 Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing natural organic colorings for nonfood uses | 32519 Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing coffee extracts | 31192 Coffee and Tea Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing liquid meat extracts from slaughtered or purchased carcasses | 31161 Animal Slaughtering and Processing |
| Manufacturing canned liquid gravies | 31142 Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying |
Index entries (42)
- Cheese based salad dressing manufacturing
- Cake frosting mixes manufacturing