Gitnux/Report 2026

Agricultural Processing Industry Statistics

The U.S. share of processed goods reached 64% of agricultural imports in 2025, explore the latest figures behind company economics and operational trends.
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Agricultural Processing Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The agricultural processing industry at a glance

Agricultural processing remains a large, value-adding industry: processed agricultural goods accounted for $136 billion, or 64% of U.S. agricultural imports, in 2025.

$136B[16]
U.S. processed imports, 2025
16.1¢[16]
Food processing share, 2024
879,430[2]
U.S. food processing workers, 2025
$116B[70]
Canadian processing output, 2024
Market size
In the United States, domestic food spending reached $2.17 trillion in 2024, while food processing supplied 16.1 cents of value added per food dollar. Canada’s food and beverage processing value of production reached $116 billion in 2024.[16][70]
Forecast & CAGR
India’s food processing market was projected at $399.5 billion in 2025 and $735.5 billion in 2032, implying an approximate 9.1% compound annual growth rate over the period. India’s food and grocery retail market was estimated at $778 billion in 2025 and projected to grow by about 4% annually through 2030.[70]
Market share & regions
Asia-Pacific accounted for 67% of global fresh-food volume sales in 2025, indicating the region’s central role in agricultural and food-processing demand. In Canada, Ontario and Quebec are the main processing centers, while 70% of processed food and beverage products available domestically were sourced from Canadian processors in 2024.[71][70]
Segmentation
U.S. food and beverage manufacturing is segmented into meat, dairy, other foods, beverages, and grain and oilseeds. In 2021, meat processing represented 26.2% of industry sales, followed by dairy at 12.8%, other foods at 12.4%, beverages at 11.3%, and grain and oilseeds at 10.4%.[16]
Key players & concentration
The industry includes large multinational processors alongside many smaller firms. France had approximately 17,000 agri-food companies in 2025, with nearly 98% classified as small or medium-sized enterprises; China had more than 100,000 registered food-processing companies in 2025.[70]
Pricing
Pricing has been supported mainly by inflation rather than volume growth in some mature markets. France’s food industry generated an estimated €200–210 billion in revenue in 2025, with the USDA describing nominal growth as driven largely by inflation; the sector also faced high agricultural, energy, and labor costs.[70]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand is being supported by population growth, rising incomes, convenience, premiumization, and higher consumption of processed and value-added foods. Key constraints include labor shortages, energy and input costs, supply-chain disruption, inflation, climate exposure, and tighter environmental and food-safety requirements.[70]
Consumer behavior & competition
U.S. consumers spent $1.27 trillion on food away from home and $901 billion on food at home in 2024, shifting demand toward food-service and convenience channels. In India, growth is being driven by demand for convenient, health-oriented, functional, and premium products, although price sensitivity and domestic competition remain significant.[16][70]
M&A
Agricultural and food-processing consolidation remained active in 2025 and 2026. Notable transactions included Bunge’s completed $8.2 billion merger with Viterra, Richardson International’s $375 million acquisition of Post Holdings’ pasta business, and Fresh Del Monte’s approximately $285 million acquisition of selected Del Monte Foods assets in March 2026.[72][73][74]
Regulation
Food processors operate under food-safety, labeling, environmental, labor, and trade rules that vary by jurisdiction. In the United States, food processing is defined as transforming foodstuffs for market, while Canada’s sector faces ongoing regulatory and supply-chain pressures; France reported tightening environmental and regulatory requirements in 2025.[16][70]
Latest news
Recent industry developments include Fresh Del Monte’s approximately $285 million acquisition of selected Del Monte Foods assets in March 2026 and continued consolidation across food production and processing. In the United States, USDA data released in 2026 showed that processed agricultural goods totaled $136 billion in 2025, equal to 64% of agricultural imports.[74][16]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Agricultural Processing Industry

The leading companies in the agricultural processing industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Cargill stands out for global producer-to-processor connections because it connects agricultural producers with food, feed and industrial processors worldwide, while Bunge focuses on grain and oilseed processing since it processes oilseeds and grains into edible oils, protein meals and food ingredients.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in grain & oilseed processing

    Cargill

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · Grain & oilseed processing

    Why we picked it: It connects agricultural producers with food, feed and industrial processors worldwide across global grain and processing.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cargill.com ↗

  2. Leader in beef processing

    Marfrig

    BR

    Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Beef processing

    Why we picked it: It operates in beef and hamburger-meat processing with scale positioning as a leading producer.

    See in ranking ↓Visit marfrig.com.br ↗

  3. Leader in coffee, sugar & rice

    Louis Dreyfus Company

    NL

    Ranked #4 · 9.0 · Coffee, sugar & rice

    Why we picked it: It is a merchant and processor spanning grains, oilseeds, coffee, sugar, rice and juice processing.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ldc.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the agricultural processing industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Cargill

Grain & oilseed processing · US

9.6
2

Bunge

Grain & oilseed processing · US

9.3
3

Marfrig

Beef processing · BR

9.1
4

Louis Dreyfus Company

Coffee, sugar & rice · NL

9.0
5

JBS

Multiprotein processing · BR

8.9
6

Barry Callebaut

Cocoa bean, cocoa ingredient and chocolate processing · CH

8.8
7

Tyson Foods

Chicken, beef, pork and prepared-food processing · US

8.6
8

Olam Group

Cocoa, coffee, nuts, spices and edible-oil processing · SG

8.6
9

Fonterra

Dairy ingredient and milk-product processing · NZ

8.5
10

Ingredion

Corn, starch, sweetener and plant-ingredient processing · US

8.3

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the agricultural processing industry. In Agricultural Processing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/agricultural-processing-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Share of EU food and beverage processing value added by manufacturing activity, 2023

Other food manufacturing holds the largest share at 31.3%.

Other food manufacturing31.3%
Bakery and starch-based products18.1%
Beverages16.9%
Meat and meat products15.7%
Dairy products10.9%
Fruit and vegetables7.1%
source-verifiedec.europa.eu

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption is moving from early use to broader uptake, with 22% of European agri-food businesses adopting it in 2024 and 24% using Internet of Things technologies in 2024.

AI in the agricultural processing industry

  • 19% of European agri-food businesses used AI in the design and planning stage in 2024.[1]
  • 45% of European agri-food businesses obtained AI systems through external service providers in 2024.[1]
  • 73% of AI-adopting businesses in the European agri-food industrial ecosystem adopted it within the previous two years in 2024.[1]
  • 22% of businesses in the European agri-food industrial ecosystem had adopted artificial intelligence in 2024.[1]

Automation in the agricultural processing industry

  • 6.6% of U.S. food manufacturing plants used robots in 2022.[2]
  • Nearly one-quarter of employees in U.S. food manufacturing were exposed to robots in 2022.[2]
  • The robot stock in U.S. food and beverage manufacturing grew 227.5% from 2010 to 2020.[2]

Digital Transformation in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[1]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[1]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[1]
  • In the United States, 61% of farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.[3]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 15.4% had high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 13.0% in 2021.[1]

Technology Adoption in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[4]
  • In Chile, 12% of agricultural production units reported using a technological tool such as mobile applications, drones, or sensors in 2021.[4]
  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[4]
  • Across EU farms with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[4]
  • In Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[4]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[4]

Cloud Computing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[5]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 37% used cloud computing in 2024, up from 26% in 2023.[1]
  • Among EU large businesses, 78% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023, compared with 44% of SMEs.[5]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 26% used cloud computing in 2023.[1]

Big Data in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 17% used big-data technologies in 2023.[1]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 307 startups focused on artificial intelligence and big data were formed between 2015 and 2023.[1]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 13% used big-data technologies in 2024, compared with 17% in 2023.[1]
  • In Germany, 5.0% of surveyed farms used artificial-intelligence or big-data technologies in 2024–2025.[4]

Blockchain in the agricultural processing industry

  • 5% of businesses in the European agri-food industrial ecosystem had adopted blockchain in 2024.[1]
  • 4% of businesses in the European agri-food industrial ecosystem had adopted blockchain in 2023.[1]

IoT in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU farms with livestock, about 11% used animal-welfare or health-monitoring systems in 2023.[4]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 24% used Internet of Things technologies in 2024, up from 10% in 2023.[1]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data quality and system separation remain recurring blockers, with 44% of food and beverage professionals citing disconnected systems and data as the biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.

Business intelligence in the agricultural processing industry

  • 92% of surveyed agribusinesses across the agricultural value chain reported collecting data in 2019.[6]
  • 49% of surveyed agribusinesses reported collecting some data in 2019.[6]
  • 43% of surveyed agribusinesses reported collecting an extensive amount of data in 2019.[6]

Data analytics in the agricultural processing industry

  • 51% of agricultural and food-value-chain respondents said most business decisions were based on data analytics in 2019.[7]
  • 2% of agricultural and food-value-chain respondents said their organization did not use data to make decisions in 2019.[7]
  • 84% of agricultural and food-value-chain respondents said more than 25% of company decisions were based on data in 2019.[7]
  • The big-data adoption index for sampled Chinese agri-food enterprises rose from 0.068 in 2016 to 0.241 in 2024.[8]

Data Quality in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[9]
  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[9]
  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[10]
  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[10]
  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[10]

Data Governance in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[11]
  • 69% of food and beverage companies still relied on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, limiting standardized access and control of business data.[12]
  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[12]
  • 61% of manufacturers reported having a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal guidelines for how data is collected, organized, accessed and used in 2024.[10]
  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[12]
  • 15% of manufacturers said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024, while 31% said it was very closely aligned.[10]

KPIs in the agricultural processing industry

  • 15.1% of tracked unusable food parts and unmarketable products in Canadian food manufacturing went to landfills during 2021–2023.[13]
  • 34.9% of tracked unusable food parts and unmarketable products in Canadian food manufacturing went to animal feed or pet food during 2021–2023.[13]
  • 31.7% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses tracked unusable food parts and unmarketable food products during 2021–2023.[13]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

M&A stays active alongside exports and equipment spend, with 265 closed food-and-agriculture transactions recorded on an LTM basis through the third quarter of 2026.

Growth in the agricultural processing industry

  • U.S. processed-food exports grew at a 3.5% compound average rate from 2016 to 2025.[14]
  • $6.2 billion was the U.S. food-and-beverage processing machinery shipment value in 2025, up 3.2% from 2024.[15]
  • $121 billion was the value of U.S. high-value agricultural exports in 2025, equal to 71% of total agricultural export value.[16]

Differentiation in the agricultural processing industry

  • 33.1% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses introduced product innovations during fiscal years 2021–2023.[13]
  • 52.6% of Canadian fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty-food manufacturers introduced process innovations during fiscal years 2021–2023.[13]
  • 43.9% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses introduced marketing innovations during fiscal years 2021–2023.[13]

Mergers and acquisitions in the agricultural processing industry

  • 265 closed food-and-agriculture transactions were recorded on an LTM basis through the third quarter of 2026.[17]
  • 157 agricultural-commodities-and-milling acquisitions were recorded from 2024 through the first quarter of 2026 in the Food Institute’s transaction dataset.[18]
  • 847 agricultural-products-and-services M&A transactions worth $61.25 billion were recorded globally in 2021.[19]
  • 119 agricultural-products-and-services M&A deals worth $2.8 billion were announced globally in the first quarter of 2024.[19]
  • 165 U.S. food-and-beverage M&A deals closed for a combined $40.8 billion in the second half of 2024.[20]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Talent pressure persists, with 44% of surveyed operators in Canada finding attracting talent difficult in 2025 and more than 50,000 positions remaining unfilled among processors in 2023.

Hiring in the agricultural processing industry

  • 44% of food manufacturing, processing, wholesale and distribution operators surveyed in Canada found attracting talent difficult in 2025.[21]
  • Only 11% of Canadian food manufacturing, processing, wholesale and distribution operators described hiring as relatively simple in 2025.[21]
  • More than 50,000 positions remained unfilled among Canadian food and beverage processors in 2023.[22]

Employee retention in the agricultural processing industry

  • 27.3% was the average voluntary turnover rate for Minnesota food and kindred products manufacturers in 2024.[23]
  • 29.0% was the average total turnover rate for Minnesota food and kindred products manufacturers in 2024.[23]
  • 59% of North American food and beverage organizations restructured working patterns to retain more staff in 2023.[24]

Remote Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, about 12% of workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[25]
  • Across U.S. accommodation and food services, 4.8% of workers worked remotely in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.[2]
  • Across U.S. crop and animal production, 14.4% of workers worked remotely in 2021, compared with 14.7% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020.[2]
  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[26]

Hybrid Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 21% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals reported working fully remotely in 2024.[27]
  • 84% of Australian agribusiness organisations planned no change to existing flexible or hybrid work arrangements in 2026.[28]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed globally in 2024, respondents averaged 2.1 work-at-home days per week.[29]
  • 35% of U.S. agriculture and food employers offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024.[26]
  • 44% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred part-time remote work in 2024.[27]

Upskilling in the agricultural processing industry

  • 39% of U.S. food and beverage plants planned to expand in-house technical training in 2025.[30]
  • 71% of North American food and beverage companies upskilled existing employees to reduce recruitment burdens in 2023.[24]
  • About half of U.S. food and beverage plants planned on-the-job training to expand maintenance workers’ skills in 2026.[30]

Employee Engagement in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Manufacture, distribution and storage organizations recorded an average employee-engagement score of 72.9% in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[31]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[31]
  • At Europe Snacks, a multinational food manufacturer, employee engagement reached 79% across its international workforce and 88% in its UK business after a structured listening program.[31]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[31]
  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[32]

Change Management in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 31% reported changing elements of their supply chain as a structural change.[33]
  • Among consumer packaged goods executives surveyed, 54% said resources dedicated to change programs had increased during the previous 12 months.[34]
  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 40% reported changing a process as a structural change.[33]
  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 53% reported conducting safety-related training as a structural change.[33]
  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 37% reported expansions, renovations or added capacity as structural changes.[33]

08 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand discovery concentrates on digital channels, with 70.0% of surveyed brands using Instagram in 2026 and 39.4% using paid social-media content in 2026.

Marketing in the agricultural processing industry

  • 20–60% was the farmer-owned brand share across ten food product categories in a 2026 U.S. consumer survey.[35]
  • 68.7% of quick-service restaurant marketers used email as an engagement channel in 2025, compared with 58.2% using social media.[36]
  • 55.7% of quick-service restaurant marketers identified increasing customer engagement or loyalty as their top business objective in 2025.[36]

Digital marketing in the agricultural processing industry

  • 69.6% of surveyed brands used Facebook in 2026, ranking it just behind Instagram for brand marketing use.[37]
  • 39.4% of surveyed brands used paid social-media content in 2026 as part of their marketing activity.[37]
  • 70.0% of surveyed brands used Instagram in 2026, making it the most leveraged platform in HubSpot’s global marketer survey.[37]
  • 40.3% of surveyed brands used organic social-media content in 2026 as part of their marketing activity.[37]

Branding in the agricultural processing industry

  • 34% of surveyed food and dairy consumers said positive reviews most influenced purchase intent from social-media brand content in 2025.[38]
  • 61% of surveyed food and dairy consumers followed brands for nutrition facts in 2025.[38]
  • 36% of surveyed food and dairy consumers said authenticity or transparency most influenced purchase intent from social-media brand content in 2025.[38]
  • More than 80% of U.S. food consumers surveyed in 2026 had a positive perception of the farmer-owned label.[35]

Social media in the agricultural processing industry

  • 31% of Canadian food and beverage processors used LinkedIn for business purposes in 2018–2019.[39]
  • 29% of Canadian food and beverage processors used Twitter for business purposes in 2018–2019.[39]
  • 65% of Canadian food and beverage processors used Facebook for business purposes in 2018–2019.[39]
  • 26% of Canadian food and beverage processors reported not using social media for business purposes in 2018–2019.[39]

Influencer Marketing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food and drink influencer content generated 392 billion impressions globally in 2023.[40]
  • Food and drink influencer content involved 78,800 profiles globally in 2023, based on Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[40]
  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[40]
  • Food and drink influencer content produced an estimated $122 billion in earned media value globally in 2023.[40]
  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[40]

09 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational waste links to forecasting, quality and equipment issues, as 40% of Canadian processors cited inaccurate forecasting as a cause of processing waste in 2023–2024.

Process optimization in the agricultural processing industry

  • 75% of food-processing operations measured overall equipment effectiveness in PMMI’s 2017 study.[41]
  • 94% of surveyed U.S. food-manufacturing operations had automated processing in the 2001 automation survey.[42]
  • 59% of surveyed U.S. food manufacturers reported that their plants were mostly automated in 2001.[42]
  • 82% of surveyed U.S. food-manufacturing operations had automated packaging in the 2001 automation survey.[42]

Operational efficiency in the agricultural processing industry

  • 20.4% to 40.3% was the reported 90-day productivity increase range across industries in Redzone’s 2025 factory benchmark, including food and beverage.[43]
  • 0.33 was the mean operational-efficiency score for surveyed agro-processing enterprises in the 2025 study.[44]
  • 254 surveyed agro-processing enterprises had operational-efficiency scores between 0.3 and 0.4 in the 2025 study.[44]
  • 47.0% was the average baseline OEE for food and beverage factories in Redzone’s 2025 productivity benchmark.[43]

Quality management in the agricultural processing industry

  • 5% of output accumulated as food waste in Germany’s processing sector according to a 2023 Thünen Institute study.[45]
  • 40% of Canadian food and beverage processors cited inaccurate forecasting as a cause of processing waste in 2023–2024.[39]
  • 53% of Canadian food and beverage processors cited poor-quality items as a cause of processing waste in 2023–2024.[39]
  • 60% of Canadian food and beverage processors cited equipment issues as a cause of processing waste in 2023–2024.[39]

Supply chain in the agricultural processing industry

  • 25.0% of U.S. food-at-home costs were attributable to food processing in 2021.[16]
  • 24.2% of U.S. food-at-home costs were attributable to food processing in 2019.[16]
  • 2.57 million tonnes of food loss and waste occurred at the manufacturing stage across six food categories in the APEC estimate.[46]
  • 12% of output left Germany’s food supply chain as food losses reused outside the food supply chain, according to the 2023 processing-sector study.[45]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[47]
  • 85% of Canadian food and beverage companies processed or manufactured products internally in 2020, while 13% both produced internally and outsourced production.[47]
  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[48]
  • About 12% of firms in the 11-country World Bank Firm-level Adoption of Technology sample outsourced at least one food-processing function, compared with about 18% in apparel.[49]
  • 49% of U.S. growers surveyed outsourced at least some farm work to third-party service providers in 2022, with spraying services the most commonly outsourced activity.[50]

10 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Cost pressure shows up as margin risk without repricing, with RSM’s 2026 analysis estimating that a 10% input-cost increase would consume roughly 15% of branded manufacturers’ gross profit.

Pricing strategy in the agricultural processing industry

  • Roughly 15% of branded food manufacturers’ gross profit would be consumed by a uniform 10% increase in input costs without repricing, according to RSM’s 2026 analysis.[51]
  • More than 130% of typical food processors’ gross profit would be consumed by a uniform 10% increase in input costs without repricing, according to RSM’s 2026 analysis.[51]
  • 23.1% was the 2022 revenue growth rate for one large global food company in the OECD’s food-supply-chain comparison.[4]
  • −9.6% was the 2024 revenue change reported for one large global food company in the OECD’s comparison.[4]

Cost reduction in the agricultural processing industry

  • 40% of Canadian food and beverage processors cited production-line changes as a cause of processing waste in 2023–2024.[39]
  • 8% to 12% was the potential broader cost saving identified for food companies through operations and supply-chain improvements.[3]
  • 2% to 6% was the potential direct-material cost saving identified for food companies through raw-material supply-chain improvements.[3]
  • 40% of Canadian food and beverage processors cited inability to repurpose products as a cause of processing waste in 2023–2024.[39]

Profitability in the agricultural processing industry

  • −0.3% was the 2023 profit margin of one large global food company in the OECD comparison.[4]
  • 13.5% was the 2019 profit margin of one large global food company in the OECD comparison.[4]
  • 3.7% was the 2023 profit margin of another large global food company in the OECD comparison.[4]
  • 19.3% was the 2021 profit margin of one large global food company in the OECD comparison.[4]

Financial planning in the agricultural processing industry

  • 38.5% of U.S. food-at-home costs came from wholesaling and retailing combined in 2021.[16]
  • 24.6 cents of every U.S. retail food dollar covered food-processing costs in 2021.[52]
  • 19.9 cents of every U.S. retail food dollar covered retail-trade costs in 2021, compared with 24.6 cents for food processing.[52]
  • 38.8% of U.S. food-at-home costs came from wholesaling and retailing combined in 2019.[16]

11 Statistics

Product & Service

Processors continue investing in traceability and innovation, with 53% of sampled agri-food companies reporting product traceability throughout the production chain in 2021.

Product development in the agricultural processing industry

  • 33.1% of Canadian food-processing businesses introduced product innovations during fiscal years 2021–2023.[13]
  • 45.6% of Canadian businesses in other food manufacturing introduced product innovations during fiscal years 2021–2023.[13]
  • 39.2% of Canadian dairy-product manufacturers introduced product innovations during fiscal years 2021–2023.[13]
  • 42.0% of Canadian fruit and vegetable preserving businesses introduced product innovations during fiscal years 2021–2023.[13]

Product lifecycle in the agricultural processing industry

  • 19% of sampled agri-food companies reported product lifecycle assessment activity in 2021.[53]
  • 86% of sampled agri-food companies reported reducing plastic packaging or using recyclable or reusable materials in 2021.[53]
  • 18.8% of European agri-food companies designed products to be easier to maintain, repair or reuse in 2024.[1]
  • 53% of sampled agri-food companies reported product traceability throughout the production chain in 2021.[53]

After-sales in the agricultural processing industry

  • After-sales typically represented about 25% of revenue for food-processing and handling equipment companies, according to a 2017 executive survey.[3]
  • After-sales gross margins were typically about twice those of other revenue sources for food-processing and handling equipment companies in a 2017 survey.[3]

Value proposition in the agricultural processing industry

  • 69.2% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses planning innovation cited cost reduction as a motivation for the next three years.[13]
  • 40.1% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses planning innovation cited addressing labour challenges as a motivation for the next three years.[13]
  • 69.8% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses planning innovation cited improving efficiencies as a motivation for the next three years.[13]

12 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Climate and circularity actions track compliance needs, with 68% of 136 assessed agri-food companies having a net-zero target in 2024.

Sustainability in the agricultural processing industry

  • 46% of surveyed European agri-food companies purchased environmental services from third parties during the five years preceding the 2024 survey.[1]
  • 65.3% of European agri-food companies adopted energy-saving measures in 2024.[1]
  • 32% of European agri-food companies had a concrete strategy to reduce their carbon footprint or become climate-neutral or climate-negative in 2024.[1]
  • 69.4% of European agri-food companies adopted material-saving measures in 2024.[1]

ESG in the agricultural processing industry

  • 20.9% of ESG-risk disclosures by analyzed agri-food companies concerned governance risks.[7]
  • 68% of 136 assessed agri-food companies had a net-zero target in 2024.[54]
  • 51.2% of ESG-risk disclosures by analyzed agri-food companies concerned environmental risks.[7]
  • 27.9% of ESG-risk disclosures by analyzed agri-food companies concerned social risks.[7]

Ethics in the agricultural processing industry

  • 23% of assessed food and agriculture companies disclosed tax payments by jurisdiction in 2021.[55]
  • 16% of assessed food and agriculture companies disclosed a policy on lobbying and political engagement in 2021.[55]
  • 63% of assessed food and agriculture companies disclosed a commitment to prohibit bribery and corruption in 2021.[55]
  • 55% of assessed food and agriculture companies disclosed a commitment to protect personal data in 2021.[55]

CSR in the agricultural processing industry

  • 9% of assessed food and agriculture companies demonstrated concrete action on living wages in 2021.[55]
  • 59% of assessed food and agriculture companies demonstrated worker grievance mechanisms in 2021.[55]
  • 63% of assessed food and agriculture companies disclosed a health-and-safety commitment in 2021.[55]
  • 8% of assessed food and agriculture companies demonstrated a human-rights due-diligence process in 2021.[55]

Circular economy in the agricultural processing industry

  • 73% of European agri-food companies adopted waste-minimisation measures in 2021.[1]
  • 42.9% of European agri-food companies recycled materials or waste within their own company in 2024.[1]
  • 28.7% of European agri-food companies sold residues and waste to another company in 2024.[1]
  • 97% of sampled agri-food companies reported circularity practices in production and waste management in 2021.[53]

Carbon footprint in the agricultural processing industry

  • 2.6 kilograms of CO2-equivalent per international dollar was the global agrifood-systems emissions intensity in 2022.[56]
  • 16.2 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent were emitted by global agrifood systems in 2022.[56]
  • 33% of global agrifood-system emissions came from pre- and post-production activities in 2022.[56]
  • 5.3 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent came from pre- and post-production activities in global agrifood systems in 2022.[56]

14 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade shifts reinforce processing demand, with $40.33 billion in U.S. processed-food exports in 2025 and Canada receiving $12.76 billion.

Globalization in the agricultural processing industry

  • 6% of value added in world food-and-beverage exports came from the agriculture and food industries of India, Indonesia and Viet Nam combined in 2022.[63]
  • 86% of global trade in crop and livestock products consisted of food commodities in 2024.[56]
  • $40.33 billion was the value of U.S. processed-food exports in 2025, with Canada receiving $12.76 billion and Mexico $6.73 billion.[14]
  • 21.4% of EU processed agricultural product exports went to the United Kingdom in 2023, making it the EU’s largest destination.[64]
  • €84.0 billion was the value of EU processed agricultural product exports to non-EU countries in 2023.[64]

Cultural adaptation in the agricultural processing industry

  • More than 70% of food and beverage manufacturers reported handling concept ideation, ingredient selection and recipe formulation in-house in 2024.[12]
  • 51% of global food and beverage brands cited competitive pressure to remain innovative as a top-three driver of higher new-product-development investment in 2024.[12]
  • 42% of global food and beverage brands cited meeting consumer demand as a top-three driver of higher new-product-development investment in 2024.[12]
  • 55% of Western U.S. processed-food consumers strongly disagreed that they followed a vegetarian diet in a 2024 consumer study.[65]

Supplier management in the agricultural processing industry

  • 76% of Canadian food and beverage processors reported traceability systems in 2023–2024.[57]
  • 28% of food processors used research provided by suppliers to identify new product ideas in 2024.[66]
  • 44% of the value of agricultural inputs purchased by Pennsylvania food processors was bought under contract in the survey year.[67]
  • More than 20% of Pennsylvania food processors used contracts to purchase agricultural inputs in the survey year.[67]

Stakeholder management in the agricultural processing industry

  • 62% of Canadian food and beverage processors reported food-waste-reduction programs in 2023–2024.[57]
  • 65% of Canadian food and beverage processors rated reducing food loss and waste during processing as an important strategic issue in 2023–2024.[57]
  • 60% of Canadian food and beverage processors reported sustainable-packaging programs in 2023–2024.[57]
  • 36% of food and beverage processing end users identified getting all stakeholders aligned as a top regulatory challenge in 2025.[58]

Distribution channels in the agricultural processing industry

  • $550.7 billion in U.S. food sales went to retail food stores through wholesalers in 2022, representing 42.4% of wholesale sales.[16]
  • 55% of U.S. grocery wholesale sales were handled by merchant wholesalers in 2022.[16]
  • 50%–60% of U.S. produce-industry sales were estimated to go to the retail grocery sector, mainly larger retail chains, in 2024.[68]
  • 69.8% of U.S. food-manufacturing sales were conducted through e-commerce in 2024.[69]

Key questions about the agricultural processing industry

How large is the agricultural processing market in the United States?
Processed agricultural goods totaled $136 billion, or 64% of U.S. agricultural imports, in 2025.
What growth pattern is visible in food processing demand?
Food demand grows with population growth, rising incomes, convenience and premiumization, while processed imports keep gaining share.
Which companies lead the agricultural processing industry?
Cargill stands out for global producer-to-processor connections because it connects agricultural producers with food, feed and industrial processors worldwide, while Bunge focuses on grain and oilseed processing since it processes oilseeds and grains into edible oils, protein meals and food ingredients.
What technology shifts are showing up in agricultural processing operations?
In the European agri-food ecosystem, 22% had adopted artificial intelligence in 2024, and 24% used Internet of Things technologies in 2024.
How concentrated is the market structure for agri-food companies?
France had approximately 17,000 agri-food companies in 2025, with nearly 98% classified as small or medium-sized enterprises, while China had more than 100,000 registered food-processing companies in 2025.
What data and compliance issues most affect processors?
Many operators rely on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, and food safety and health were identified as a top risk for 2026.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Agricultural Processing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/agricultural-processing-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Agricultural Processing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/agricultural-processing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Agricultural Processing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/agricultural-processing-industry-statistics.

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