Gitnux/Report 2026

Food and Drink Industry Statistics

The global food and beverages market reached $7.04 trillion in 2025, explore the figures behind growth, company performance and 2026 technology, regulation and workforce shifts.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Food and Drink Industry Statistics
Timothy GrantWritten by Timothy Grant·Edited by Abigail Foster·Fact-checked by Astrid Bergmann
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The food and drink industry at a glance

The global food and beverages market reached $7.04 trillion in 2025 and is forecast to expand at a 5.9% CAGR through 2030, while consumers increasingly balance value, convenience, health and sustainability.

$7.04T[93]
Global market size, 2025
5.9%[93]
Forecast CAGR, 2025–2030
1.84M[94]
U.S. food-manufacturing jobs, 2025
13.0%[95]
U.S. household spending on food, 2025
Market size
The global food and beverages market was valued at $7.04 trillion in 2025. In the United States, food-away-from-home spending reached $1.41 trillion in 2025, showing the scale of the foodservice segment.[93][96]
Forecast & CAGR
The global food and beverages market is projected to reach $9.32 trillion by 2030, representing a 5.9% compound annual growth rate from 2025. Packaged beverage consumption is expected to grow by 3.5% annually worldwide from 2025 to 2028.[93][97]
Market share & regions
Asia-Pacific was the largest regional market in 2025, according to the cited global market assessment. In packaged beverages, Asia-Pacific accounted for 22.0% of worldwide consumption in 2025, equivalent to 330.3 billion liters, and is forecast to reach a 22.9% share by 2028.[93][97]
Segmentation
The market is commonly segmented by alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, grain products, bakery and confectionery, frozen foods and other food categories. Distribution is divided among supermarkets and hypermarkets, convenience stores, e-commerce and other channels; in U.S. commercial foodservice, full-service and limited-service restaurants together represented 71.0% of food-away-from-home spending in 2025.[93][96]
Key players & concentration
Large multinational manufacturers remain important, but private-label and challenger brands are gaining share. U.S. store-brand sales reached $271 billion in 2024, up 3.9% year over year, compared with 1.0% growth for national brands.[98][13]
Pricing
U.S. food-at-home prices increased 2.3% in 2025, below the 20-year average annual increase of 2.6%. Average U.S. household food expenditure rose 4.6% in 2025, with meat, poultry, fish and eggs spending increasing 11.7%.[96][95]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is being supported by rising disposable income, health-focused innovation, low- and no-sugar beverages, convenience and e-commerce. Volume growth remains constrained at less than 1% annually for major food-and-beverage consumer packaged goods companies, while inflation, input costs and cautious consumers remain key challenges.[93][99]
Consumer behavior & competition
Price and taste were tied as the leading food-and-beverage purchase influences in a 2025 consumer survey, each selected by 80.6% of respondents; safety and quality followed at 29.6%, and nutritional value at 23.0%. Nearly 85% of private-brand assortments were available online in 2025, increasing competitive pressure on national brands.[8][13]
M&A
M&A activity remained active in 2026: Anheuser-Busch completed the acquisition of a majority stake in ready-to-drink beverage company BeatBox on February 27, 2026. In grocery retail, Kroger agreed to acquire Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion in July 2026, highlighting continued consolidation pressures.[100][29]
Regulation
The FDA Food Traceability Rule requires businesses handling foods on the Food Traceability List to maintain key data elements linked to critical tracking events and provide records to the FDA within 24 hours, or within another agreed period. FDA’s 2026 regulatory agenda also lists a final rule for pasteurized orange juice standards of identity.[101]
Latest news
In 2026, industry news has centered on portfolio restructuring, consolidation and regulatory scrutiny. Notable developments include Anheuser-Busch’s BeatBox acquisition, Kroger’s proposed $1.65 billion Giant Eagle acquisition and FDA activity around food traceability and ingredient regulation.[100][29][101]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Food And Drink Industry

The leading companies in the food and drink 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 food and ingredient supply because it reorganized its 2025 operations into Food, Ag & Trading and Specialized Portfolio enterprises, while Anheuser-Busch InBev leads in beer and alcoholic beverages since it reported 561.1 million hectoliters of total volume in FY2025.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in food ingredients

    Cargill

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.4 · Food ingredients

    Why we picked it: Its split structure maps directly to agricultural commodities, ingredients and food, supported by a 6.5% revenue growth in 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cargill.com ↗

  2. Leader in beer production

    Anheuser-Busch InBev

    BE

    Ranked #2 · 9.2 · Beer production

    Why we picked it: Beer and alcoholic beverage scale is reflected in FY2025 volume, alongside an operating margin of 26%.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ab-inbev.com ↗

  3. Leader in non-alcoholic beverages

    The Coca-Cola Company

    US

    Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Non-alcoholic beverages

    Why we picked it: Its global non-alcoholic beverage footprint spans 200+ territories, with a 28.7% operating margin and 1.9% revenue growth.

    See in ranking ↓Visit coca-colacompany.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 food and drink industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Cargill

Food ingredients · US

9.4
2

Anheuser-Busch InBev

Beer production · BE

9.2
3

The Coca-Cola Company

Non-alcoholic beverages · US

9.1
4

Mars

Confectionery and pet care · US

9.1
5

JBS

Meat and protein products · NL

9.0
6

Yum! Brands

Global quick-service restaurant operator · US

9.0
7

Nestlé

Global packaged food, beverages and nutrition · CH

8.7
8

PepsiCo

Snacks, soft drinks and convenience foods · US

8.7
9

Ferrero Group

Confectionery and sweet packaged foods · IT

8.7
10

Restaurant Brands International

Global quick-service restaurant operator · CA

8.6

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

Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the food and drink industry. In Food And Drink Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-and-drink-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest food and drink companies

Cargill leads with $154.0B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Cargill$154.0B
Nestlé$101.1B
PepsiCo$93.9B
JBS$86.2B
Anheuser-Busch InBev$59.3B
The Coca-Cola Company$47.9B
source-verifiedcargill.com · nestle.com · pepsico.com · mediaroom.jbs.com.br · ab-inbev.com · investors.coca-colacompany.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Technology adoption is broad, with 97% of food and beverage businesses investigating AI in 2024 and more than one-third already using it.

AI in the food and drink industry

  • 97% of food and beverage businesses were at least investigating AI in 2024, while more than one-third were already using it.[1]
  • 82% of restaurant executives planned to increase AI investment in the next fiscal year, according to a survey of 375 executives in 11 countries.[2]
  • 39% of North American food and beverage organizations were implementing or using AI, reporting 8.1% revenue growth and 7.6% profit growth in 2021–2022.[3]
  • 21% of food and beverage companies said data analytics and decision-making were their main reasons for exploring AI.[3]
  • 43% of restaurant organizations reported readiness in AI strategy, compared with 39% for technology infrastructure and 27% for talent.[2]
  • 81% of food-away-from-home organizations intended to increase AI investment over the following six months.[4]

Automation in the food and drink industry

  • 56% of surveyed North American food and beverage companies planned automation investments to overcome supply-chain disruption.[1]
  • 26% of surveyed food and beverage organizations cited reducing waste as an automation driver.[1]
  • 60% of North American food and beverage processors, manufacturers and distributors were using technology to automate more tasks in 2023.[1]
  • 34% of North American food and beverage companies planned to increase automation in 2024.[1]
  • Food and beverage accounted for approximately 4% of global industrial-robot installations in 2024.[5]
  • 48% of North American food and beverage companies still partly or completely relied on manual processes to trace products.[1]

Digital Transformation in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 34% of food, beverage, and ingredient professionals said manufacturing process or assembly had been positively affected by digital transformation technologies in 2024.[6]
  • 40% of 423 food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their organization’s biggest operational barrier in 2026.[7]
  • 28% of food, beverage, and ingredient professionals reported positive effects from digital transformation technologies on food-safety preventive controls in 2024.[6]
  • 82% of food and beverage leaders said technology adoption was a strategic priority, while 6% reported fully integrated digital systems, in a 2025 survey.[7]

Technology Adoption in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 22% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in machine-learning software in 2025.[6]
  • 31% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in robotics or robotic process automation in 2025.[6]
  • 50% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in artificial intelligence as part of their 2025 digital-transformation strategies.[6]
  • 23% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in mobile-app technologies in 2025.[6]

Cloud Computing in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 18% of food manufacturers were already using cloud-based manufacturing-execution systems, while 51% planned implementation, according to a 2025 industry survey.[8]
  • 39.5% of EU enterprises in accommodation and food-service activities used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[9]
  • 52% of food processors and manufacturers were considering cloud technology, while 45% reported no cloud use, in a 2023 industry survey.[3]
  • 30% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in cloud computing or enterprise resource-planning software and systems in 2025.[6]

Big Data in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 35% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in big data and real-time analytics in 2025.[6]
  • 13% of food manufacturers were already using advanced-analytics or big-data platforms, while 44% planned implementation, in a 2025 industry survey.[8]
  • 47% of food, beverage, and ingredient professionals identified gathering, analyzing, and leveraging data for data-driven decisions as a digital-transformation investment driver in 2024.[6]
  • 24% of food-manufacturing respondents were very familiar with advanced analytics, while 34% were moderately familiar, in CRB’s 2025 survey.[10]

Blockchain in the food and drink industry

  • 6% of food-industry respondents said blockchain was already used in their businesses, while approximately 43% were researching, planning or piloting it.[11]
  • Walmart reduced the time needed to trace the origin of packaged mangoes from nearly seven days to 2.2 seconds using blockchain.[12]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data governance and quality show up as constraints, including 40% of professionals citing disconnected systems and data as the biggest operational barrier in 2026.

Business intelligence in the food and drink industry

  • 0.9% of food retailers’ total sales was devoted to technology budgets in 2023, equal to more than $10 billion.[13]
  • 1.9% of food suppliers’ sales was devoted to technology investment in 2023.[13]
  • 51% of food, beverage and ingredient companies cited production-efficiency improvement as a digital-transformation investment driver for 2025.[6]
  • 69% of food suppliers used artificial intelligence in 2023, according to FMI survey results.[13]
  • 41% of food retailers used artificial intelligence in 2023, according to FMI survey results.[13]
  • 47% of food, beverage and ingredient companies cited data-driven decision-making as a digital-transformation investment driver for 2025.[6]

Data analytics in the food and drink industry

  • 34% of food, beverage and ingredient companies said digital transformation most positively affected manufacturing process or assembly.[6]
  • 20% of North American food and beverage companies were investing in AI primarily to improve data analytics and decision-making.[3]
  • 7.6% was the 2021–2022 profit growth reported for food and beverage companies implementing or using AI.[3]
  • 6.1% was the 2021–2022 profit growth reported for food and beverage companies investing in AI.[3]
  • 8.1% was the 2021–2022 revenue growth reported for food and beverage companies implementing or using AI.[3]
  • 39% of North American food and beverage organizations were implementing or using artificial intelligence in the Aptean 2024 survey.[3]

Data Quality in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 6.4 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data accuracy as important in 2018.[14]
  • 6.4 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data timeliness as important in 2018.[14]
  • 7.0 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data completeness as important in 2018.[14]
  • 77% of retail and consumer-products companies identified improving data quality as a priority in 2023.[15]
  • 6.6 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data consistency as important in 2018.[14]
  • 22% of consumer-products companies reported that businesses lacked trust in data quality and validity in 2024.[16]

Data Governance in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 81% of supply-management organizations found their data-governance program useful in 2024.[17]
  • 22% of consumer-products companies planned to increase investment in data infrastructure and governance over the following 12 months in 2024.[16]
  • 47% of supply-management data-governance functions were housed in a center of excellence in 2024.[17]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024.[17]
  • 43% of consumer-products companies reported struggling to establish the right level of data governance in 2024.[16]
  • 90% of supply-management organizations agreed or strongly agreed that data governance was necessary in 2024.[17]

KPIs in the food and drink industry

  • 11% of food, beverage and ingredient companies said digital transformation most positively affected warehouse management.[6]
  • 22% of food, beverage and ingredient companies planned to invest in machine-learning software for 2025.[6]
  • 21% of food, beverage and ingredient companies planned to invest in technology-enabled traceability systems for 2025.[6]
  • 50% of food, beverage and ingredient companies planned to invest in artificial intelligence for 2025.[6]
  • 19% of food, beverage and ingredient companies said digital transformation most positively affected inventory management.[6]
  • 48% of food, beverage and ingredient companies planned to invest in supply-chain tracking systems for 2025.[6]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Deal flow remains active, with 351 food and beverage deals closed in North America during the fourth quarter of 2024 and $149.9 billion in total value for 2024.

Growth in the food and drink industry

  • 24.9% was Food Empire’s South Asia revenue growth in 2024.[18]
  • 27.3% was Food Empire’s South-East Asia revenue growth in 2024.[18]
  • 2.6% was Unilever Foods’ underlying sales growth in 2024.[19]
  • 4% was dsm-firmenich Taste, Texture & Health’s organic sales growth in 2025.[20]
  • $476.3 million was Food Empire’s record revenue in 2024, its fourth consecutive year of top-line growth.[21]
  • 12.6% was Food Empire’s revenue growth in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and CIS markets in 2024.[18]

Differentiation in the food and drink industry

  • 60% of Unilever Foods’ business group was represented by Hellmann’s and Knorr in 2024.[19]
  • 12 markets had received Magnum’s premium bite-sized Bon Bons innovation by the end of 2024.[19]
  • $33.469 million was Food Empire’s 2024 revenue from other product categories.[21]
  • $356.388 million was Food Empire’s 2024 beverage revenue.[21]
  • $86.490 million was Food Empire’s 2024 ingredients revenue.[21]
  • €13.4 billion was Unilever Foods’ turnover in 2024 across condiments, cooking aids, mini-meals and foodservice solutions.[19]

Mergers and acquisitions in the food and drink industry

  • 351 food and beverage deals closed in North America during the fourth quarter of 2024.[22]
  • $149.9 billion was the total value of food and beverage deals closed in 2024, according to The Food Institute.[22]
  • $2.1 billion was Performance Food Group’s acquisition value for Cheney Brothers in 2024.[22]
  • 674 North American food and beverage M&A transactions were recorded in 2024.[23]
  • $1.95 billion was Butterfly Equity’s acquisition value for The Duckhorn Portfolio in 2024.[22]
  • $24.8 billion was the value of food and beverage deals closed in the fourth quarter of 2024.[22]

Strategic partnerships in the food and drink industry

  • 60% was Fresh Del Monte Foods’ ownership share in its Saudi Arabian joint venture operating two distribution centers in 2024.[24]
  • 32% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ 2024 net sales came from its ten largest customers, indicating major-account relationships.[24]
  • $99.004 million in 2024 revenue came from Food Empire’s six major customers, reflecting concentrated commercial relationships.[21]
  • 50 countries used Unilever Food Solutions’ Future Menu’s Trend Report in 2024 through its foodservice network.[19]
  • 9% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ 2024 net sales came from Walmart and its affiliates.[24]
  • 29 countries were included in Coca-Cola HBC’s operating footprint in 2024 through its production, sales and distribution network.[25]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce pressure persists, with 38% of U.S. food and beverage professionals naming staffing as the largest challenge in 2025.

Hiring in the food and drink industry

  • 15.9 million restaurant and foodservice employees were forecast for the United States in 2025.[26]
  • 38% of U.S. food and beverage professionals named staffing, including recruitment, retention and training, as their largest challenge in 2025.[27]
  • 15.7 million restaurant and foodservice employees were recorded in the United States in 2024.[26]
  • 77% of culinary and hospitality organizations reported difficulty recruiting full-time positions in 2024.[28]
  • McDonald’s planned to hire up to 375,000 U.S. restaurant employees during summer 2025.[29]

Employee retention in the food and drink industry

  • The median tenure of employees in U.S. food services and drinking places was 2.2 years in January 2026.[30]
  • Accommodation and food services recorded a 4.2% average monthly quits rate in the United States during 2025.[31]
  • 135% was the hourly employee turnover rate at limited-service restaurants in the United States in the third quarter of 2024.[2]
  • 9% of restaurant operators reported turnover of 76% or higher in mid-2024, compared with 6% in 2026.[32]
  • 50% of hospitality employees in a 2026 frontline-workforce survey said meaningful learning opportunities would make them stay longer than perks.[33]

Remote Work in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among food-sector career starters globally, 36% were fully site-based during their first two years of work, according to a 2024 survey.[34]
  • U.S. accommodation and food-services firms averaged 0.1 work-from-home days per week from November 2024 through January 2025.[35]
  • Across U.S. food and beverage businesses, 26% let employees choose to work in-person or remotely in 2025, while 73% require in-person work.[36]
  • In U.S. accommodation and food services, 1.7% of employees were able to work fully remotely in 2024.[37]

Hybrid Work in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among food-sector career starters globally, 27% worked in a hybrid arrangement during their first two years, according to a 2024 survey.[34]
  • Across U.S. food and beverage businesses, 26% offered employees the option to work in-person or remotely in 2025.[36]
  • In 2025, 80% of hospitality and food-services employers said they were still struggling to get the balance right with hybrid working.[38]
  • In U.S. restaurant and bar businesses, 12% offered employees a choice between in-person and remote work in 2025.[36]

Upskilling in the food and drink industry

  • 59% of North American food and beverage companies had changed working patterns as part of workforce-retention efforts, alongside upskilling initiatives.[3]
  • 40% of frontline employees said more purposeful learning and development would make them stay at their jobs for another year.[33]
  • More than 90,000 McDonald’s employees had received support through Archways to Opportunity by 2025, including tuition assistance and English lessons.[29]
  • 19% of U.S. food and beverage professionals said companies reduced spending on team training and development in 2025.[27]
  • 71% of North American food and beverage companies had upskilled existing employees to reduce recruitment pressure.[3]

Employee Engagement in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food-service employees recorded 72.6% engagement in 2026, up 9.1 percentage points from the prior measurement.[39]
  • Among U.S. and Canadian frontline employees surveyed in 2024, 52% worked in foodservice, in a sample of 46,250 employees used to assess workplace engagement.[40]
  • Food-and-beverage organizations scored 7.91 out of 10 for employee engagement in the latest 2026 benchmark dataset.[41]
  • Globally, 21% of employees were engaged in 2025, providing an economy-wide benchmark relevant where food-and-beverage-specific engagement data are limited.[42]

DEI in the food and drink industry

  • Women represented approximately 22% of India’s food and beverage-services workforce in 2025, equal to about 2.6 million employees.[43]
  • Food and beverage services employed approximately 12.1 million people across outlets and catering services in India in 2025.[43]
  • 78% of McDonald’s employees gave the company a positive score on its Inclusion Index in 2024.[44]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Retention gaps are measurable, with 78.8% of existing restaurant guests lost within one year in Bloom Intelligence’s January 2024–October 2025 analysis.

Customer experience in the food and drink industry

  • 89 points was the 2024 U.S. full-service restaurant score for beverage quality, including taste and temperature.[45]
  • 89 points was the 2024 U.S. full-service restaurant score for food quality, including taste, temperature and ingredient freshness.[45]
  • 73 points was the 2024 U.S. food-delivery industry customer-satisfaction score on ACSI’s 0–100 scale.[45]
  • 90 points was the 2024 U.S. full-service restaurant score for waitstaff courtesy and helpfulness.[45]
  • 92 points was the 2024 U.S. full-service restaurant score for food-order accuracy on ACSI’s 0–100 customer-experience scale.[45]

Customer retention in the food and drink industry

  • $19,693 in sales was generated per 1,000 retained restaurant guests exposed to one-to-one marketing in the 2024 DataDelivers analysis.[46]
  • 78.8% of existing restaurant guests were lost within one year in Bloom Intelligence’s January 2024–October 2025 analysis.[47]
  • 17% of restaurant guests who visited in 2022 returned in 2023, according to an analysis of 34.5 million guests.[46]
  • 21% was the approximate annual restaurant guest-retention rate in Bloom Intelligence’s January 2024–October 2025 analysis.[47]
  • $4,071 in sales was generated per 1,000 retained restaurant guests exposed to other marketing in the 2024 DataDelivers analysis.[46]

Customer acquisition in the food and drink industry

  • 14% of U.S. restaurant consumers discovered new restaurants through online review sites in the 2024 FLIP survey.[48]
  • 75% of restaurant website traffic came from mobile devices in BentoBox’s 2024 report.[49]
  • 24% of U.S. restaurant consumers found out about new restaurants through word of mouth in the 2024 FLIP survey.[48]
  • 3,000 new guests were generated in four months for one Fabio Viviani Hospitality customer using targeted email marketing.[50]
  • 22% of restaurant website takeout-and-delivery traffic came from social media in BentoBox’s 2024 report.[49]

Customer loyalty in the food and drink industry

  • 52% of U.S. restaurant, coffee-shop, snack-place and deli customers said they participated in loyalty programs in 2024.[51]
  • 77% of multi-unit restaurants offered a loyalty program in 2024, according to TouchBistro.[52]
  • 8% of restaurant visits were allocated to enrolled brands by loyalty members in 2024, versus 4% by nonmembers.[53]
  • 22% more restaurant visits per year were made by loyalty members than by nonmembers in 2024.[53]
  • 39% of U.S. restaurant visits came from loyalty-program members in 2024, according to Circana.[53]

Lead generation in the food and drink industry

  • 19% of U.S. restaurant consumers identified Google as a way they found new restaurants in 2024.[48]
  • 14% of U.S. restaurant consumers identified online review sites as a way they found new restaurants in 2024.[48]
  • 23% of U.S. restaurant customers checked Yelp for restaurant ratings in the 2024 FLIP report.[48]
  • 3,000 new restaurant guests were generated in four months by one hospitality customer using targeted email marketing.[50]
  • 15% of U.S. restaurant consumers identified social media as a way they found new restaurants in 2024.[48]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Targeting and measurement remain differentiators, where 19% of U.S. restaurants cited difficulty measuring marketing-campaign performance in 2024.

Marketing in the food and drink industry

  • 14% of U.S. restaurants cited insufficient time for marketing activities as a marketing challenge in 2024.[52]
  • 37% of U.S. restaurant operators used social media as their primary customer-communication method in 2024.[54]
  • 26% of U.S. restaurant operators used email as their primary customer-communication method in 2024.[54]
  • 19% of U.S. restaurants cited difficulty measuring marketing-campaign performance in 2024.[52]
  • 64% of U.S. restaurant operators sent personalized offers to customers in 2024.[54]

Digital marketing in the food and drink industry

  • 28% higher click-to-open rates were achieved by targeted restaurant email marketing in the SevenRooms 2024 report.[50]
  • 2 times more revenue per email was generated by targeted restaurant email marketing in the SevenRooms 2024 report.[50]
  • 53% of U.S. diners preferred email as their way to hear from restaurants in the 2024 TouchBistro survey.[55]
  • 23% higher open rates were achieved by targeted restaurant email marketing in the SevenRooms 2024 report.[50]
  • 36% of U.S. Gen Z diners preferred social media as their way to hear from restaurants in the 2024 TouchBistro survey.[55]

Branding in the food and drink industry

  • 32.3% of U.S. adults said they would consider buying Lipton the next time they bought a beverage in YouGov’s 2026 ranking.[56]
  • 140 beverage brands were tracked daily across 16 brand-health metrics in YouGov’s 2026 U.S. beverage rankings.[56]
  • 26% was the unit market share of private-label food and beverage brands in the U.S. in 2023, according to Circana data reported by AP.[29]
  • 35.6% of U.S. adults said they would consider buying Coca-Cola the next time they bought a beverage in YouGov’s 2026 ranking.[56]
  • 41.0% of U.S. adults said they would consider buying Gatorade the next time they bought a beverage in YouGov’s 2026 ranking.[56]

Social media in the food and drink industry

  • 15% of U.S. restaurant consumers found new restaurants through social media in the 2024 FLIP survey.[48]
  • 82% of U.S. restaurants used social media as part of their marketing strategy in 2024.[57]
  • 6% of U.S. diners preferred social media as their way to hear from restaurants in the 2024 TouchBistro survey.[55]
  • 84% of restaurant customers preferred seeing photos of food and drinks on a restaurant’s social-media page in 2024.[57]
  • 15% of U.S. restaurant consumers used social media to discover new restaurants in the 2024 FLIP food-industry outlook survey.[48]

Influencer Marketing in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 33% of U.S. food and beverage shoppers said they purchased a product from an influencer-founded or influencer-led brand such as Prime or Feastables in the previous year, in 2025.[58]
  • 49% of U.S. millennial food and beverage shoppers said they purchased from an influencer-founded or influencer-led brand in the previous year, according to a 2025 survey.[58]
  • 63% of U.S. food and beverage shoppers said they purchased a prepackaged product based on an online influencer’s recommendation in the previous year, according to a June 2025 survey.[58]
  • 82% of U.S. Gen Z food and beverage shoppers said they purchased a prepackaged product based on an online influencer’s recommendation in the previous year, according to a June 2025 survey.[58]
  • 69.3% of TikTok videos featuring branded food or beverage products had no brand-relationship disclosure, based on an analysis of 648 videos published in 2025.[59]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Automation adoption is uneven, with 22% of surveyed food and beverage companies having fully automated inventory management in 2025.

Process optimization in the food and drink industry

  • 22% of surveyed food and beverage companies had fully automated inventory management in 2025.[8]
  • 35% of Canadian food and beverage processors used measurement, tracking, process optimization or waste assessments to reduce food loss in 2024.[60]
  • 5% of Canadian food and beverage processors used composting to reduce food loss in 2024.[60]
  • 20% of surveyed food and beverage companies had fully automated warehouse management in 2025.[8]
  • 15% of Canadian food and beverage processors developed new food products or ingredients, including upcycling, to reduce food loss in 2024.[60]

Operational efficiency in the food and drink industry

  • 37% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors cited ineffective operating systems as a top productivity challenge in 2024.[61]
  • 39% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors planned to review production KPIs to improve productivity in 2024.[61]
  • 46% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors identified tighter inventory management systems as a productivity initiative in 2024.[61]
  • 40% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors operated at 75%–84% of capacity in 2024.[61]
  • 38% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors cited labor skill levels as a top productivity challenge in 2024.[61]

Quality management in the food and drink industry

  • 86 recalls was the 10-year annual average for Food Standards Australia New Zealand before 2024.[62]
  • 76% of Canadian food and beverage processors had traceability systems in 2024.[60]
  • 62% of Canadian food and beverage processors had food-waste-reduction programs in 2024.[60]
  • 16% was the increase in food recalls coordinated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand in 2024 compared with 2023.[62]
  • 95 food recalls were coordinated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand in 2024.[62]

Supply chain in the food and drink industry

  • 46% of North American food processors, manufacturers and distributors wanted to align production schedules with available inventory in 2024.[1]
  • 3% of Canadian food and beverage processors reported supply-chain optimization, including reduced transportation time, as a food-loss practice in 2024.[60]
  • 36% of North American food processors, manufacturers and distributors identified supply-chain visibility as a priority goal in 2024.[1]
  • 42% of food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain leaders cited limited inventory visibility as a food-waste challenge in 2025.[63]
  • 48% of North American food processors, manufacturers and distributors still partly or completely relied on manual product-traceability processes in 2024.[1]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across food and beverage CPG companies globally, 52% planned to expand their international footprint in 2023, including North America, EMEA and APAC expansion.[64]
  • Among food and beverage CPG companies globally, 36% used co-manufacturers for finished-product manufacturing in 2023.[50]
  • Among food and beverage CPG companies globally, 47% worked with up to 10 co-manufacturers in 2023.[50]
  • Across food and beverage CPG companies globally, 75% used at least some co-manufacturing resources in 2023.[50]
  • Across food and beverage CPG companies globally, 55% outsourced more manufacturing in 2023 than three years earlier, according to a survey of 287 industry leaders.[50]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Restaurant pricing pressure shows up in demand shifts, including 33% of restaurant operators reporting customers ordering less alcohol after higher prices in 2024.

Pricing strategy in the food and drink industry

  • 33% of restaurant operators reported customers ordering less alcohol after higher prices in 2024.[54]
  • 4.7% was the increase in U.S. Midwest non-alcoholic restaurant beverage prices from May 2025 to May 2026.[65]
  • 5.0% was the approximate increase in U.S. non-alcoholic beverage prices at restaurants from May 2025 to May 2026.[65]
  • 13% was the average menu-price increase reported by restaurant operators in 2023.[54]
  • 15% was the average menu-price increase reported by restaurant operators in 2022.[54]

Cost reduction in the food and drink industry

  • 37% of global manufacturing plants reported mean time between equipment failures of 24 hours or less in 2024.[66]
  • $42.7 billion was the estimated value of surplus food from U.S. food manufacturing in 2024.[67]
  • $26.9 billion was the estimated value of unsold food in U.S. retail in 2024.[68]
  • 14,129 tons was the quantity of surplus food reported by U.S. foodservice businesses in 2024.[68]
  • 23.4 pounds was the quantity of unsold food per U.S. retail capita in 2024.[68]

Profitability in the food and drink industry

  • 2.3% was the U.S. grocery-industry margin in 2022, according to OECD analysis of Nielsen data.[69]
  • 3.0% was the U.S. grocery-industry margin in 2020, according to OECD analysis of Nielsen data.[69]
  • 6.9% was the U.S. food-manufacturing profit margin in 2019.[70]
  • 4.4% was the U.S. food-and-beverage retail-store profit margin in 2023.[70]
  • 2.9% was the U.S. food-and-beverage retail-store profit margin in 2019.[70]

Financial planning in the food and drink industry

  • 34% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors planned closer management of hours worked as a productivity initiative in 2024.[61]
  • 46% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors identified technology and software as an investment area for productivity improvement in 2024.[61]
  • 42% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors planned general staff reskilling as a productivity initiative in 2024.[61]
  • 44% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors planned digital-technology adoption and staff reskilling as a productivity initiative in 2024.[61]
  • 37% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors cited outdated plant and equipment as a productivity challenge in 2024.[61]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product development in the food and drink industry

  • 0.85% of sales was the average product-development cost among surveyed UK and German food companies in the study period.[71]
  • 2 patents over the previous three years was the average recorded by the surveyed UK and German food companies.[71]
  • 41% of food-industry launches were classified as genuinely new products in a 2011 survey of food and beverage manufacturers.[72]
  • 18,722 new food and beverage products were introduced by U.S. food manufacturers in 2005.[73]
  • 28 products per year was the average number launched by the surveyed UK and German food companies.[71]

Product lifecycle in the food and drink industry

  • 1.5% was the average first-year household penetration reached by a new launch in Germany, according to NIQ analysis.[74]
  • 37% of perishable-food launches broke through the 1% household-penetration threshold in the NIQ analysis.[74]
  • 30% of Italian launches reached at least 1% household penetration during the first year, according to NIQ analysis.[74]
  • 30% of Italian trialists repeated a purchase at least once after trying a new food or beverage launch.[74]
  • More than 50% of German new launches exceeded 1% household penetration in their first year.[74]

After-sales in the food and drink industry

  • 79 points was the 2024 customer-satisfaction score for U.S. fast-food restaurants on the ACSI 0–100 scale.[45]
  • 82 points was the 2024 customer-satisfaction score for U.S. breweries on the ACSI 0–100 scale.[45]
  • 74 points was the 2025 U.S. restaurant-and-food-delivery score for food temperature.[45]
  • 82 points was the 2024 customer-satisfaction score for U.S. food manufacturing on the ACSI 0–100 scale.[45]
  • 75 points was the 2025 U.S. restaurant-and-food-delivery score for order accuracy and quoted delivery-time accuracy.[45]

Value proposition in the food and drink industry

  • 39% of U.S. consumers said environmental sustainability was a food-and-beverage purchase driver in the 2022 survey.[75]
  • 29.8% of U.S. consumers surveyed in 2025 would pay up to 5% more for sustainably produced food.[8]
  • 68% of U.S. consumers said price was a more significant food-and-beverage purchase driver than environmental sustainability in the 2022 survey.[75]
  • 15.2% of U.S. consumers surveyed in 2025 would pay 6% to 10% more for sustainably produced food.[8]
  • 53% of consumers willing to pay more for sustainable packaged food and drinks would pay up to 10% extra, according to a 17-market YouGov survey.[56]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sourcing and emissions accounting remain central, with 88% of total EU food and drink industry emissions coming from Scope 3 in 2025 estimates.

Sustainability in the food and drink industry

  • More than 50% of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers expected carbon-neutral or net-zero manufacturing within five years in 2024.[10]
  • 58 million tonnes of food were lost or wasted in the EU in 2023, equivalent to about 130 kg per inhabitant.[76]
  • 19% of EU food waste in 2023 occurred at the food and drink industry stage of the supply chain.[76]
  • More than 50% of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers had linked ESG policies to concrete KPIs in 2024.[10]
  • 83% of surveyed global food and beverage manufacturers had an ESG policy in place in 2024.[10]

ESG in the food and drink industry

  • Companies headquartered in Australia averaged 56/100 in the 2026 food and beverage forced-labour benchmark.[77]
  • 47% of benchmarked food and beverage companies scored below 10/100 for forced-labour supply-chain efforts in 2026.[77]
  • 15/100 was the average forced-labour supply-chain score for the world’s largest food and beverage companies in the 2026 benchmark.[77]
  • More than half of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers had grounded ESG policies in concrete KPIs in 2024.[10]
  • Only 2 food and beverage companies scored above 50/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain benchmark.[77]

Ethics in the food and drink industry

  • 131 human-rights supply-chain incidents were recorded for food retailers between November 2014 and November 2024.[78]
  • 13% of global modern-slavery victims are estimated to be in agriculture and fishing, sectors supplying the food industry, according to ILO estimates cited by FAIRR.[79]
  • 6/100 was the average score for enabling freedom of association among food and beverage companies in 2026.[77]
  • 452 human-rights and labour-compliance risks were identified in a 2023 SMETA audit review of one protein producer’s supply chain.[79]
  • 3/100 was the average score for responsible purchasing practices among food and beverage companies in 2026.[77]

CSR in the food and drink industry

  • 711,000 meals were donated by U.S. Business & Industry foodservice signatories in 2024.[68]
  • 12% of surveyed global food-system organizations committed their boards to representation of affected communities in 2023.[80]
  • 3.02% of surplus food was donated by U.S. Business & Industry foodservice signatories in 2024.[68]
  • 73% of 51 global food-system organizations had diversity-and-inclusion policies in 2023.[80]
  • 41% of surveyed global food-system organizations had no board diversity policy or commitment in 2023.[80]

Circular economy in the food and drink industry

  • 5.73 was the circularity-readiness score for food and beverage resource outflows in KPMG’s 2024 assessment.[81]
  • 1.63% of surplus food was sent to anaerobic digestion by U.S. Business & Industry foodservice signatories in 2024.[68]
  • 35.95% of surplus food went to landfill among U.S. Business & Industry foodservice signatories in 2024.[68]
  • 58.19% of surplus food was composted by U.S. Business & Industry foodservice signatories in 2024.[68]
  • 20.7 billion meals were unsold or uneaten in U.S. foodservice in 2024.[67]

Carbon footprint in the food and drink industry

  • 88% of total EU food and drink industry emissions came from Scope 3 in 2025 estimates.[76]
  • 12% of total EU food and drink industry emissions came from Scope 1 and 2 in 2025 estimates.[76]
  • 36.04 MtCO2e of EU food and drink emissions came from distribution in 2025 estimates.[76]
  • 54% was Tetra Pak’s reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions between 2019 and 2024.[82]
  • 62.53 MtCO2e of EU food and drink emissions came from packaging in 2025 estimates.[76]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Cross-border scale continues, including 190 countries selling Unilever products in 2024.

Globalization in the food and drink industry

  • 190 countries sold Unilever products in 2024, demonstrating the company’s global food and consumer-goods reach.[19]
  • $165.907 billion was the value of U.S. exports of foods, feeds and beverages in 2024.[91]
  • 20% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ net sales came from Europe in 2024.[24]
  • £8,196 million was the United Kingdom’s 2024 export value for beverages, the largest food, feed and drink export category.[92]
  • 9% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ net sales came from the Middle East and North Africa in 2024.[24]

Cultural adaptation in the food and drink industry

  • 27.3% was Food Empire’s year-on-year revenue growth in South-East Asia in 2024, driven partly by targeted local consumer campaigns.[18]
  • 12 markets had received Magnum’s bite-sized Bon Bons innovation by the end of 2024.[19]
  • Vietnam accounted for more than 50% of Food Empire’s South-East Asia segment revenue in 2024.[18]
  • 3.4 billion people used Unilever products every day in 2024 across markets with differing consumer needs and preferences.[19]
  • More than 50 countries used Unilever Food Solutions’ Future Menu’s Trend Report in 2024.[19]

Supplier management in the food and drink industry

  • 9% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ total net sales came from Walmart and its affiliates in 2024.[24]
  • 32% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ 2024 net sales came from its ten largest customers.[24]
  • 22 distribution centers and fresh-cut facilities were operated by Fresh Del Monte Foods in North America in 2024.[24]
  • 9% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ 2024 net sales came from the Middle East and North Africa, supported by independent distributors and company facilities.[24]
  • $42.136 million in capital commitments for property, plant and equipment were reported by Food Empire at the end of 2024.[21]

Stakeholder management in the food and drink industry

  • 15.5% of Unilever’s turnover was invested in brands and marketing in 2025, the company’s highest level in over a decade.[19]
  • €60.8 billion was Unilever’s total turnover in 2024 across its global consumer-goods businesses.[19]
  • €9.4 billion was Unilever’s investment in brands and marketing in 2024.[19]
  • 3.4 billion people used Unilever products every day in 2024, indicating the scale of its consumer stakeholder base.[19]

Distribution channels in the food and drink industry

  • 50 countries used Unilever Food Solutions’ digital and trend-report programs in 2024, supporting foodservice distribution and reach.[19]
  • 59% of Fresh Del Monte Foods’ net sales came from North America in 2024, supported by an integrated sales and distribution network.[24]
  • 19 new markets gained Coca-Cola HBC distribution rights in 2024 following an acquisition.[21]
  • 29 countries were covered by Coca-Cola HBC’s production, sales and distribution operations in 2024.[25]

Key questions about the Food and Drink Industry

What is the global food and beverages market size in 2025, and what is the 2025–2030 growth rate?
The global food and beverages market reached $7.04 trillion in 2025. It is forecast to expand at a 5.9% CAGR through 2030.
How fast is the market expected to grow through 2030?
The market is projected to reach $9.32 trillion by 2030. That implies 5.9% compound annual growth from 2025.
Which companies lead the food and drink industry?
Cargill stands out for food and ingredient supply because it reorganized its 2025 operations into Food, Ag & Trading and Specialized Portfolio enterprises, while Anheuser-Busch InBev leads in beer and alcoholic beverages since it reported 561.1 million hectoliters of total volume in FY2025.
Where are technology and analytics investments showing up most in food and drink operations?
Companies report AI investigation levels of 97% in 2024, with more than one-third already using it. In North America, 56% planned automation investments to overcome supply-chain disruption.
How concentrated is demand across channels and restaurant formats in the U.S.?
In U.S. commercial foodservice, full-service and limited-service restaurants together represented 71.0% of food-away-from-home spending in 2025.
What regulatory data burden affects food traceability in the U.S.?
The FDA Food Traceability Rule requires key data elements linked to critical tracking events and records provided to the FDA within 24 hours, or within another agreed period.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Food And Drink Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-and-drink-industry-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Food And Drink Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/food-and-drink-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Food And Drink Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-and-drink-industry-statistics.

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