NAICS 311423

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to support collection, analysis, and publication of U.S. economic statistics. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget with Canada and Mexico and adopted in 1997 to replace SIC, it enables cross-country comparability; federal programs now publish data on the 2022 NAICS vintage. ¹

NAICS 311423 covers establishments primarily engaged in drying or dehydrating foods—such as fruits, vegetables, dry soup mixes, and bouillon—and in drying or dehydrating ingredients and packaging them with other purchased ingredients like rice or dry pasta. This industry definition is the basis for economic statistics and classification guidance. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Drying and dehydrating fruits and vegetables, including freeze-drying of these products. ²
• Manufacturing dry soup mixes and bouillon from dried or dehydrated ingredients produced by the establishment. ²
• Drying and/or dehydrating food ingredients for use in dry soup mixes and bouillon. ²
• Drying or dehydrating ingredients and packaging them with purchased ingredients (e.g., rice, dry pasta). ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	311422	Specialty Canning (e.g., canned soups except seafood), a nearby industry within the same group. 2
NAICS	311999	All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing (e.g., mixing purchased dried ingredients for soup/bouillon). 2
PSC	8935	Soups and Bouillons. 5
PSC	8915	Fruits and Vegetables (includes juices). 5

Classification boundaries and common exclusions

• Milling rice and packaging it with other ingredients belongs to 311212, not 311423. ²
• Manufacturing dry pasta and packaging it with other ingredients is classified in 311823. ²
• Manufacturing vegetable flours and meals falls under 311211. ²
• Mixing purchased dried potatoes, rice, and dry pasta with other purchased ingredients, or mixing purchased dried ingredients for soup/bouillon, is classified in 311999. ²
• Dry salad dressing and dry sauce mixes are in 311942. ²

SBA small business size standard (manufacturing)

• The SBA small business size standard for 311423 is 750 employees (effective March 17, 2023; employees-based standard for Manufacturing). ⁴

Frequently asked questions

• What activities define NAICS 311423?

  Establishments primarily dry or dehydrate foods (including freeze-drying) such as fruits, vegetables, soup mixes, and bouillon, and may package dried ingredients with purchased items like rice or dry pasta. ²

• How does NAICS 311423 differ from NAICS 311999?

  311423 covers drying or dehydrating done by the establishment. If the work is primarily mixing purchased dried ingredients (e.g., for soup or bouillon), classification shifts to 311999. ²

• Are freeze-dried foods included in 311423?

  Yes. The industry explicitly includes drying “including freeze-dried” for fruits, vegetables, and soup/bouillon ingredients produced by the establishment. ²

• What version of NAICS is currently used for Census economic data?

  Census economic programs are publishing detailed industry statistics using the 2022 NAICS vintage and are transitioning remaining programs to 2022 NAICS through 2027. ³

• What is the SBA small business size standard for 311423?

  The size standard is 750 employees for NAICS 311423, per SBA’s Table of Small Business Size Standards effective March 17, 2023. ⁴

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 311423
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS overview and tools (landing site with 2022 NAICS search and resources). ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — 311423 Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (industry definition and cross-references). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (transition timeline and publication basis). ³
• SBA — Table of Small Business Size Standards (effective March 17, 2023). ⁴
• Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual (Subsistence group 89; PSCs 8915, 8935). ⁵

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) overview. https://www.census.gov/naics
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS Sector 31–33 (includes 311423 definition and cross-references). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=311423
3. U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS. https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
4. U.S. Small Business Administration — Table of Small Business Size Standards (effective March 17, 2023). https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/Table%20of%20Size%20Standards_Effective%20March%2017%2C%202023%20%282%29.pdf
5. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual, April 2024 Edition. https://login.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202024.pdf