Gitnux/Report 2026

Food Production Industry Statistics

The U.S. food-away-from-home market totaled $1.41 trillion in 2025, explore the figures behind growth, companies, and trends across food production.
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Food Production 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 food production industry at a glance

U.S. food manufacturing generated $1.05 trillion in value of shipments and employed 1.70 million people in 2024, the latest comprehensive industry data available as of November 11, 2026.

$1.05T[68]
U.S. shipments, 2024
1.70M[68]
U.S. food manufacturing jobs, 2024
$2.51T[14]
U.S. food spending, 2025
7%[69]
Agrifood CAGR, 2025–2030
Market size
U.S. food manufacturing recorded $1.0543 trillion in value of shipments in 2024, according to the latest Annual Integrated Economic Survey. Broader U.S. food spending reached $2.51 trillion in 2025, including food purchased at home and away from home.[68][14]
Forecast & CAGR
Allianz Research expects the global agrifood market to grow at about 7% annually from 2025 to 2030, reaching more than $21 trillion for agriculture alone by 2030. Food and beverage processing could add roughly $10 trillion by 2030.[69]
Market share & regions
In the United States, food-away-from-home accounted for 56.3% of total food expenditures in 2025, while food-at-home represented 43.7%. Within food-at-home spending, grocery stores held 56.2% and warehouse clubs and supercenters held 26.4%.[14]
Segmentation
USDA’s food-expenditure framework divides the market into food at home, food away from home, alcohol at home, and alcohol away from home. In 2025, U.S. food spending was split between $1.10 trillion at home and $1.41 trillion away from home.[14]
Key players & concentration
The U.S. food manufacturing industry remains broad, with 1.70 million employees across employer businesses in 2024. USDA identifies meat processing as the largest U.S. food and beverage manufacturing group by sales, value added, and employment, but no reliable current source reviewed provided a single national concentration ratio.[68][14]
Pricing
U.S. food prices increased 3.1% from December 2024 to December 2025, with food-at-home prices up 2.4% and food-away-from-home prices up 4.1%. In 2025, average annual household food spending rose 4.6% to $10,633.[13]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Food-away-from-home spending reached $1.41 trillion in 2025, exceeding food-at-home spending of $1.10 trillion and reflecting continued demand for convenience and prepared meals. Cost pressure remains significant: food-away-from-home prices rose 4.1% year over year at December 2025, compared with 2.4% for food at home.[14][13]
Consumer behavior & competition
Consumers spent 9.7% of disposable personal income on food in 2025. Food away from home captured 56.3% of total food expenditure, while warehouse clubs and supercenters increased their share of food-at-home spending to 26.4%, intensifying competition among grocery, mass-merchandise, and foodservice channels.[14]
M&A
Mars completed its acquisition of Kellanova on December 11, 2025; Mars said the combined snacking business was expected to generate about $36 billion in annual revenue and include nine billion-dollar brands. Ferrero agreed to acquire WK Kellogg for $3.1 billion in enterprise value in July 2025 and completed the transaction in September 2025.[70][71]
Regulation
Under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act, covered food facilities must evaluate hazards, implement risk-based preventive controls, monitor those controls, and maintain records. FDA guidance states that food safety plans must be reanalyzed at least once every three years, or sooner in specified circumstances.[56]
Latest news
The most significant recent developments reviewed were Mars’s completion of the Kellanova acquisition on December 11, 2025, and Ferrero’s completion of the WK Kellogg acquisition in September 2025. Ferrero reported 2024/25 turnover of €19.3 billion and 36 manufacturing plants before incorporating WK Kellogg’s results.[70][71]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Food Production Industry

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

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

Verdict

Mars stands out for confectionery and snacks because it expected about $36 billion in annual revenue from the combined snacking business in 2025, while Cargill focuses on food ingredients and proteins since it reported 6.5% revenue growth.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in confectionery & snacks

    Mars

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · Confectionery & snacks

    Why we picked it: Its snacking business scale is quantified after the Kellanova acquisition completion on December 11, 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit mars.com ↗

  2. Leader in food ingredients & proteins

    Cargill

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.3 · Food ingredients & proteins

    Why we picked it: Its food ingredients and proteins operations sit within food and agriculture processing, supported by 6.5% revenue growth.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cargill.com ↗

  3. Leader in non-alcoholic beverages

    The Coca-Cola Company

    US

    Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Non-alcoholic beverages

    Why we picked it: Its non-alcoholic beverage system operates in more than 200 countries and territories, paired with a 28.7% operating margin.

    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 production industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Mars

Confectionery & snacks · US

9.6
2

Cargill

Food ingredients & proteins · US

9.3
3

The Coca-Cola Company

Non-alcoholic beverages · US

9.1
4

Nestlé

Food & beverage processing · CH

8.7
5

Ferrero Group

Confectionery & snacks · IT

8.6
6

PepsiCo

Convenient foods and beverages, global · US

8.6
7

Danone

Dairy, plant-based foods, nutrition and water · FR

8.5
8

Tyson Foods

Chicken, beef, pork and prepared foods, global · US

8.2
9

General Mills

Cereals, snacks, meals and pet food · US

7.7
10

The Kraft Heinz Company

Packaged meals, condiments and dairy foods · US

7.6

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

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the food production industry. In Food Production Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-production-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest food production companies

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

Cargill$154.0B
Nestlé$101.1B
PepsiCo$93.9B
Mars$65.0B
Tyson Foods$54.4B
The Coca-Cola Company$47.9B
source-verifiedcargill.com · nestle.com · pepsico.com · mars.com · tysonfoods.com · investors.coca-colacompany.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI and automation show measured adoption signals in 2024–2025 surveys, including 22% of food manufacturers using AI or machine learning in 2025.

AI in the food production industry

  • 19% of agri-food companies used AI during design and planning activities in 2024.[1]
  • 18% of agri-food companies using AI developed their capabilities in-house in 2024.[1]
  • 45% of agri-food businesses using AI accessed it through external service providers in 2024.[1]
  • 22% of businesses in the European Union agri-food industrial ecosystem used artificial intelligence in 2024.[1]
  • 73% of agri-food businesses that adopted AI did so within the previous two years, according to a 2024 European survey.[1]
  • 9.6% was the 2024 profit-growth rate reported by food and beverage companies already using AI.[2]

Automation in the food production industry

  • 40% was the maximum operational-efficiency improvement reported as achievable through automation by surveyed food and beverage companies.[2]
  • 20% of European Union agri-food businesses used robotics in 2024, up from 11% in 2023.[1]
  • 12% was the maximum operational-cost reduction reported as achievable through automation by surveyed food and beverage companies.[2]
  • 56% of surveyed North American food and beverage companies planned technology investment to overcome supply-chain disruption in 2024.[2]
  • 34% of North American food and beverage companies planned to increase automation in 2024.[2]
  • 54% of surveyed North American food and beverage companies wanted to align production schedules with available inventory in 2024.[2]

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

  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[1]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[1]
  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[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 Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[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 with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[4]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[4]
  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[4]
  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[4]

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

  • 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 businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[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]
  • In Germany, 5.0% of surveyed farms used artificial-intelligence or big-data technologies in 2024–2025.[4]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data governance and data-quality gaps remain prominent, with 69% of food and beverage companies relying on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025.

Business intelligence in the food production industry

  • 18% of surveyed food manufacturers were using cloud-based manufacturing-execution systems in 2025.[6]
  • 13% of surveyed food manufacturers were using advanced analytics or big-data platforms in 2025.[6]
  • 26% of surveyed food manufacturers were using IoT sensors or equipment monitoring in 2025.[6]
  • 22% of surveyed food manufacturers were using artificial intelligence or machine learning in 2025.[6]
  • 41% of surveyed food manufacturers were using real-time production-monitoring dashboards in 2025.[6]
  • 26% of surveyed food manufacturers were using automated quality inspection or computer-vision systems in 2025.[6]

Data analytics in the food production industry

  • 21% of surveyed food manufacturers said data analytics had provided the most value for equipment-failure prediction and prevention in 2025.[6]
  • 25% of surveyed food manufacturers said data analytics had provided the most value for automated inventory-reorder-point calculation in 2025.[6]
  • 25% of surveyed food manufacturers said data analytics had provided the most value for energy-consumption patterns and peak-usage alerts in 2025.[6]
  • 23% of surveyed food manufacturers said data analytics had provided the most value for quality-defect detection and root-cause analysis in 2025.[6]
  • 19% of surveyed food manufacturers said data analytics had provided the most value for batch-quality-deviation analysis in 2025.[6]
  • 27% of surveyed food manufacturers said data analytics had provided the most value for product-yield-loss tracking and alerts in 2025.[6]

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

  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[7]
  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[7]
  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[8]
  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[8]
  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[7]

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

  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[9]
  • 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.[9]
  • 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.[7]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[10]
  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[9]
  • 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.[7]

KPIs in the food production industry

  • 71% of surveyed international food manufacturers used predictive maintenance in 2023, with metrics including maintenance costs, downtime and mean time between failures.[11]
  • 40% of food-manufacturing survey respondents reported computerized maintenance-management systems in the cited Food Engineering survey.[12]
  • 39% of food-manufacturing survey respondents remained in reactive-maintenance mode in the cited Food Engineering survey.[12]
  • 23% of food-manufacturing survey respondents had installed predictive-maintenance systems in the cited Food Engineering survey.[12]
  • 31.3% of food-manufacturing respondents intended to install preventive or predictive-maintenance software in the cited survey.[12]
  • 28% of food-manufacturing survey respondents remained in reactive-maintenance mode in the cited Food Engineering survey.[12]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Employment and output figures frame demand pull, including a projection to add 130,000 jobs in U.S. food and beverage manufacturing from 2024 to 2034.

Growth in the food production industry

  • 333,000 jobs were in U.S. beverage manufacturing in 2024, representing 16% of food and beverage manufacturing employment.[13]
  • 1.7 million workers were employed by U.S. food and beverage processing establishments in 2021.[14]
  • 556,400 jobs were in U.S. animal slaughtering and processing in 2024, representing 26% of food and beverage manufacturing employment.[13]
  • 130,000 jobs are projected to be added by U.S. food and beverage manufacturing from 2024 to 2034.[13]
  • 350,400 jobs were in U.S. bakery and tortilla manufacturing in 2024, representing 17% of food and beverage manufacturing employment.[13]
  • $1,062.4 billion is the projected 2034 output of U.S. food and beverage manufacturing, compared with $872.5 billion in 2024.[13]

Differentiation in the food production industry

  • 45% of U.S. food and beverage manufacturing employment in 2024 was concentrated in bakeries and tortilla manufacturing, beverage manufacturing, and other food manufacturing.[13]
  • 28% was Sovos Brands’ annual organic net-sales growth from 2019 through 2022.[15]
  • 173,800 jobs were in U.S. fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing in 2024.[13]
  • $775 million was Rao’s annual revenue when Campbell completed its acquisition of Sovos Brands in 2024.[16]

Mergers and acquisitions in the food production industry

  • $2.7 billion was the announced value of Campbell’s acquisition of Sovos Brands in 2023.[15]
  • Campbell completed its acquisition of Sovos Brands on March 12, 2024.[16]
  • $1.2 billion was PepsiCo’s announced purchase price for Siete Foods in 2024.[17]
  • $600 million was the expected annual cost savings from the proposed McCormick–Unilever combination announced in 2026.[15]
  • $58.3 billion was Performance Food Group’s fiscal-2024 net revenue after its acquisition-led distribution expansion.[18]
  • $20 billion was the combined companies’ expected fiscal-2025 revenue in the proposed McCormick–Unilever combination.[15]

Strategic partnerships in the food production industry

  • 5.59% of surveyed U.S. school food authorities used centralized farmer groups, producer cooperatives or food hubs as food suppliers.[19]
  • 472 surveyed U.S. school food authorities reported contracted foodservice-management, cooperative-purchasing or group-buying suppliers as a food source.[19]
  • 28.69% of surveyed U.S. school food authorities used suppliers contracted by foodservice-management companies, cooperative purchasing groups or group-buying organizations.[19]
  • 1,377 surveyed U.S. school food authorities reported distributors as a food source.[19]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce retention and digital skills remain active constraints, with 44% of operators in Canada and the United States finding attracting talent difficult in 2025.

Hiring in the food production industry

  • 35% of surveyed food manufacturing companies used external training programs to address digital skills gaps in 2025.[6]
  • 73.6% of U.S. food-manufacturing employees were White in 2024.[13]
  • 1.705 million people were employed in U.S. food manufacturing in 2024.[13]
  • 35% of surveyed food manufacturing companies used hiring new talent to address digital skills gaps in 2025.[6]
  • 44% of food-industry operators surveyed in Canada and the United States found attracting talent difficult in 2025.[20]

Employee retention in the food production industry

  • 28% of United Kingdom and Ireland food-and-beverage employees said poor training and skills development would make them leave in 2023.[21]
  • 59% of surveyed North American food and beverage companies restructured or reduced working days or weeks to retain staff in 2023.[22]
  • 55% of surveyed United Kingdom and Ireland food-sector employees said they planned to leave their business within two years in 2023.[21]
  • 5.02% was the employee turnover rate for the United Kingdom food and drinks manufacturing sector in 2024.[23]
  • 47% of surveyed United Kingdom food and drink manufacturing employees who left their companies did so for higher pay in 2024.[23]

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.[24]
  • 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.[13]
  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[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.[13]

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

  • 13% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred full-time on-site work in 2024.[26]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed in 2024, 36% reported having no work-at-home days per week.[27]
  • 44% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred part-time remote work in 2024.[26]
  • 35% of U.S. agriculture and food employers offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024.[25]
  • 21% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals reported working fully remotely in 2024.[26]

Upskilling in the food production industry

  • 71% of surveyed North American food and beverage companies had upskilled existing employees in 2023.[22]
  • 58% of surveyed food manufacturing companies used internal training programs to address digital skills gaps in 2025.[6]
  • On-the-job training and mentorship was the most effective upskilling method identified by surveyed food-industry leaders in 2024.[28]
  • 24% of surveyed North American food and beverage companies planned to reskill or upskill employees during the following 12 months in 2023.[22]
  • 23% of surveyed food manufacturing companies addressed digital skills gaps through automation of complex tasks in 2025.[6]

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.[29]
  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[30]
  • 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.[29]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[29]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[29]

DEI in the food production industry

  • 30.3% of U.S. food-manufacturing employees were Hispanic or Latino in 2024.[13]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Foodservice spend drives customer dynamics, with food-away-from-home accounting for 56.3% of total food expenditure in 2025.

Customer experience in the food production industry

  • 75% of global fast-food customers said they would purchase more from the brand in 2025.[31]
  • 71% of global fast-food customers said they would recommend the brand in 2025.[31]
  • 72% of global fast-food customers trusted the brands they used in 2025.[31]
  • 78% of global fast-food customers were satisfied in 2025, based on 23,730 consumers across 23 countries.[31]
  • 66% of fast-food customers reduced their spending after a negative experience, according to Qualtrics’ global consumer study.[31]

Customer retention in the food production industry

  • 76% of U.S. limited-service restaurant operators said loyalty programs helped increase customer traffic in 2024.[32]
  • 28% of U.S. restaurant consumers cited loyalty programs as a factor supporting retention in 2024, up 5 percentage points from 2023.[33]
  • 80% of U.S. fine-dining operators with loyalty programs said those programs boosted traffic in 2024.[32]
  • 78% of U.S. coffee and snack operators said loyalty programs helped increase customer traffic in 2024.[32]
  • 75% of U.S. quick-service restaurant operators said loyalty programs helped increase customer traffic in 2024.[32]

Customer loyalty in the food production industry

  • 71% of U.S. quick-service restaurants reported having a customer loyalty or rewards program in 2024.[32]
  • 80% of U.S. coffee and snack businesses reported having a customer loyalty or rewards program in 2024.[32]
  • 52% of U.S. restaurants reported having a customer loyalty or rewards program in 2024.[32]
  • 61% of U.S. adults said loyalty-program membership was important when choosing a restaurant for delivery.[32]
  • 66% of U.S. limited-service restaurants reported having a customer loyalty or rewards program in 2024.[32]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Trust signals include ingredient and process transparency at 53.2% of U.S. consumers in 2025, while influencer posts generated 392 billion impressions in 2023.

Marketing in the food production industry

  • 53.2% of U.S. consumers said transparency about ingredients and production processes contributed to their trust in a food brand in 2025.[6]
  • 28.2% of U.S. consumers said recommendations from friends or family contributed to their trust in a food brand in 2025.[6]
  • 15.2% of U.S. consumers said third-party certifications contributed to their trust in a food brand in 2025.[6]
  • 9.2% of U.S. consumers said ethical sourcing contributed to their trust in a food brand in 2025.[6]
  • 47.0% of U.S. consumers said a food company’s reputation contributed to their trust in its brand in 2025.[6]

Digital marketing in the food production industry

  • 50.6 billion food advertisements were viewed on Twitter or X by U.S. adult social-media users from April 2020 through August 2021.[34]
  • 335 billion food and beverage advertisements were viewed by adult social-media users in the United States from April 2020 through August 2021.[34]
  • 182% was the increase in U.S. food and beverage social-media advertising expenditure between the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods studied.[34]
  • $2.8 billion was spent on social-media advertising by the U.S. food and beverage industry from April 2020 through August 2021.[34]
  • 190.6 billion food advertisements were viewed on Instagram by U.S. adult social-media users from April 2020 through August 2021.[34]

Branding in the food production industry

  • 66% of global consumers trusted food and beverage manufacturers in 2025, according to a 27-market average excluding India.[35]
  • 77% of U.S. consumers agreed in 2024 that they preferred to buy trusted brand-name foods.[36]
  • 80% of U.S. consumers agreed in 2024 that private-label food quality was as good as or better than name brands.[36]
  • 70% of global consumers trusted grocery stores, supermarkets and food retailers in 2025, according to a 27-market average excluding India.[35]
  • 88% of U.S. consumers agreed in 2024 that they would buy private-label food if their usual brand was out of stock.[36]

Social media in the food production industry

  • 76% of Gen Z Americans trusted food or nutrition content on social media in 2024.[37]
  • 64% of U.S. adults who encountered food-related social-media content in 2023 said Facebook was a source of that content.[37]
  • 71% of Gen X Americans trusted food or nutrition content on social media in 2024.[37]
  • 59% of Baby Boomer Americans trusted food or nutrition content on social media in 2024.[37]
  • 68% of U.S. adults who saw food or nutrition content on social media in 2024 trusted it at least a little.[37]

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

  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[38]
  • Food and drink influencer content involved 78,800 profiles globally in 2023, based on Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[38]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 392 billion impressions globally in 2023.[38]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 42.7 billion engagements globally in 2023.[38]
  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[38]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Surplus and waste outcomes quantify operating pressure, with $42.7 billion of surplus food generated by U.S. food manufacturing in 2024.

Process optimization in the food production industry

  • 11% of food and beverage companies reported fully automated quality testing and documentation in 2025, while 39% used partial automation.[6]
  • 20% of food and beverage companies reported fully automated warehouse management in 2025, while 51% used partial automation.[6]
  • 9% of food and beverage companies reported fully automated maintenance scheduling in 2025, while 37% used partial automation.[6]
  • 21% of food and beverage companies reported fully automated production scheduling in 2025, while 48% used partial automation.[6]
  • 28% of food and beverage companies reported fully automated production-line control in 2025, while 37% used partially automated control.[6]

Operational efficiency in the food production industry

  • 13.2 million tons of surplus food were generated by U.S. food manufacturing in 2024.[39]
  • $42.7 billion of surplus food was generated by U.S. food manufacturing in 2024, equal to 7% of manufacturing sales.[39]
  • 7.2% of food-manufacturing waste, equivalent to 482,000 tons, went to landfill in the United States in 2024.[39]
  • 3.86 trillion gallons of water were used to produce food lost at the U.S. manufacturing stage in 2024.[39]
  • 6.67 million tons of food became waste in U.S. food manufacturing in 2024.[39]

Quality management in the food production industry

  • 55 U.S. food recalls were recorded by the USDA in 2024, a 38% decline from 2023.[11]
  • 101 U.S. food recalls were caused by undeclared allergens in 2024, representing 34% of recall events.[11]
  • 1,392 illnesses were reported from U.S. food-recall events in 2024, compared with 1,118 in 2023.[11]
  • 241 U.S. food recalls were recorded by the FDA in 2024, an 8% increase from 2023.[11]
  • 65 U.S. food recalls were caused by Listeria in 2024, representing 22% of recall events.[11]

Supply chain in the food production industry

  • 37% of food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain leaders cited manual waste-tracking processes as a waste-reduction obstacle in 2025.[40]
  • 37% of food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain leaders cited inaccurate demand forecasting or overordering as a waste-reduction obstacle in 2025.[40]
  • 42% of food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain leaders cited limited inventory visibility as a waste-reduction obstacle in 2025.[40]
  • 75% of food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain leaders said reducing waste was a challenge in 2025.[40]
  • 26% of food waste ended up in landfill among food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain organizations in 2025.[40]

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

  • 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.[41]
  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[42]
  • 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.[43]
  • 19% of surveyed Queensland food-processing businesses contracted work out in 2010, while 28% contracted work in and 15% did both.[44]
  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[44]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Cost and pricing pressures show through household spending and price indices, with food prices up 3.1% from December 2024 to December 2025.

Pricing strategy in the food production industry

  • 31% of New York and New Jersey food manufacturers reduced packaging costs in response to raw-material price increases in 2023.[45]
  • 40% of New York and New Jersey food manufacturers reduced other operating costs to address raw-material price increases in 2023.[45]
  • 22% of New York and New Jersey food manufacturers substituted less costly ingredients in response to raw-material price increases in 2023.[45]
  • 37% of New York and New Jersey food manufacturers identified lower-cost suppliers in response to raw-material price increases in 2023.[45]
  • 40% of New York and New Jersey food manufacturers passed increased raw-material costs to customers in 2023.[45]

Cost reduction in the food production industry

  • $2.13 billion was the estimated value of food sent to landfill by U.S. food manufacturers in 2024.[39]
  • 615,000 tons of dry-goods surplus food were generated by U.S. food manufacturing in 2024.[39]
  • 482,000 tons of U.S. food-manufacturing waste went to landfill in 2024.[39]
  • 13.1 million tons of wasted food represented a direct opportunity to reduce input, labor, energy, storage and disposal costs for U.S. food manufacturers in 2024.[46]
  • 919,000 tons of produce surplus food were generated by U.S. food manufacturing in 2024.[39]

Profitability in the food production industry

  • £882 million was Associated British Foods’ adjusted operating profit from food businesses in 2023.[47]
  • $258 million was Smithfield Foods’ adjusted operating profit in 2023.[48]
  • 8.3% was Associated British Foods’ adjusted operating margin for food businesses in 2023.[47]
  • £984 million was Associated British Foods’ adjusted operating profit from food businesses in 2024.[47]
  • $1.1 billion was Smithfield Foods’ operating profit in 2024.[48]

Financial planning in the food production industry

  • 33% of manufacturing purchasing and supply executives reported increased capital expenditures in 2024.[49]
  • 65% of food and beverage companies planning higher capital spending in 2024 prioritized expanding production lines.[50]
  • 30% was the average increase among manufacturing respondents reporting higher capital expenditures in 2024.[49]
  • 84% of New York and New Jersey food and beverage manufacturers expected revenue and profit to increase in 2024.[50]
  • 20% of manufacturing purchasing and supply executives reported reduced capital expenditures in 2024.[49]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Innovation activity is measurable in recent multi-year windows, with 67.7% of Canadian food manufacturing businesses introducing at least one innovation in fiscal years 2021–2023.

Product development in the food production industry

  • 59.2% of Canadian food-processing businesses with less than C$1 million in sales introduced at least one innovation during 2021–2023.[51]
  • 76.5% of Canadian food-processing businesses with more than C$100 million in sales introduced at least one innovation during 2021–2023.[51]
  • 30% of sales came from products launched during the preceding two years among surveyed UK and German food companies.[52]
  • 33% of Canadian food-processing businesses introduced a product innovation during fiscal years 2021–2023.[51]
  • 28 products was the average number launched annually by surveyed UK and German food companies.[52]

Product lifecycle in the food production industry

  • 72.1% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses reported at least one type of innovation during fiscal years 2016–2018.[51]
  • 38.5% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses reported process innovation during fiscal years 2021–2023.[51]
  • 33% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses reported product innovation during fiscal years 2021–2023.[51]
  • 42% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses reported organizational innovation during fiscal years 2021–2023.[51]
  • 39% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses reported product innovation during fiscal years 2016–2018.[51]

After-sales in the food production industry

  • 17% was the mean share of maintenance work outsourced by surveyed food manufacturers.[12]
  • 42% was the mean share of microbiological testing outsourced by surveyed food manufacturers.[12]
  • 71% of surveyed international food manufacturers reported using predictive maintenance, which respondents linked to customer-service improvements.[11]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Waste and emissions connect sustainability to operations, including 482,000 tons of U.S. food-manufacturing waste going to landfill in 2024.

Sustainability in the food production industry

  • More than 50% of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers expected carbon-neutral or net-zero manufacturing within five years in 2024.[53]
  • 83% of surveyed global food and beverage manufacturers had an ESG policy in 2024.[53]
  • 25 kg of food waste per EU inhabitant came from food manufacturing in 2024.[5]
  • 75% of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers used tax credits to support ESG implementation in 2024.[53]
  • 60% of 50 large North American food companies reported progress on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in 2024.[54]

ESG in the food production industry

  • Food and beverage companies represented 24% of the OECD dataset's consumer-goods companies reporting sustainability information in the cited table.[4]
  • 22 of 24 food and beverage companies in the OECD consumer-goods dataset reported sustainability information in the measured sample.[4]
  • 83% of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers had an ESG policy in 2024.[53]
  • 136 agrifood companies were assessed for corporate sustainability targets in BloombergNEF's 2024 analysis.[55]
  • More than 50% of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers had linked ESG policies to concrete performance indicators in 2024.[53]

Circular economy in the food production industry

  • 482,000 tons of U.S. manufacturing-sector food waste went to landfill in 2024.[39]
  • $42.7 billion was the estimated value of U.S. manufacturing-sector surplus food in 2024.[39]
  • 21.1 billion meals were represented by unsold or uneaten manufacturing-sector surplus food in the United States in 2024.[39]
  • 4.93 million tons of U.S. manufacturing-sector food waste came from dairy and eggs in 2024.[39]
  • Nearly 50% of U.S. manufacturing-sector surplus food went to recycling destinations in 2024.[39]

Carbon footprint in the food production industry

  • 3.86 trillion gallons of water were embodied in U.S. manufacturing-sector food lost in 2024.[39]
  • More than half of surveyed food and beverage manufacturers expected carbon-neutral or net-zero manufacturing within five years in 2024.[53]
  • 492,000 metric tons of methane emissions were associated with U.S. manufacturing-sector surplus food in 2024.[39]
  • 38.6 million metric tons of CO2e were associated with U.S. manufacturing-sector surplus food in 2024.[39]
  • U.S. manufacturing-sector surplus-food emissions in 2024 were equivalent to emissions from 9 million cars.[39]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade structure highlights processing scale, with 48% of food imports in developed economies being processed foods in 2021.

Globalization in the food production industry

  • €235.4 billion was the value of European Union agri-food exports in 2024, up 3% year on year.[62]
  • $1.7 trillion was the value of global food trade in 2021, 350% higher than in 2000.[63]
  • 48% of food imports in developed economies were processed foods, compared with about 35% in developing economies in 2021.[63]
  • 85% of global soybean and palm-oil exports in 2024 came from the two leading exporting countries for each commodity.[64]
  • 86% of crop and livestock product trade consisted of food commodities in 2024.[64]

Cultural adaptation in the food production industry

  • 37% was Rao’s organic net-sales growth after Campbell completed its acquisition of Sovos Brands in 2024.[16]
  • 54% of consumers in the Netherlands said they were generally willing to pay extra for locally produced food in 2024.[36]
  • 66% of global consumers said they were generally willing to pay extra for locally produced food in 2024.[36]
  • 63% of European consumers said they were generally willing to pay extra for locally produced food in 2024.[36]

Supplier management in the food production industry

  • 25% of specialty food manufacturers sourced their principal ingredient directly from farms.[65]
  • 23% of specialty food manufacturers bought from their principal supplier through open-market purchases.[66]
  • 27% of specialty food manufacturers identified distributors as their principal supplier type.[65]
  • 22% of specialty food manufacturers were vertically integrated with their principal supplier overall.[66]
  • 32% of specialty food manufacturers used relational contracts with their principal supplier overall.[66]

Stakeholder management in the food production industry

  • 83% of surveyed U.S. school food authorities sourced at least some food from distributors.[19]
  • 54.16% of surveyed U.S. school food authorities sourced at least some food from food processors.[19]
  • 5.59% of surveyed U.S. school food authorities sourced at least some food from centralized farmer groups, cooperatives or food hubs.[19]
  • 16.60% of surveyed U.S. school food authorities sourced at least some food from farmers or community-supported agriculture entities.[19]
  • 19.51% of surveyed U.S. school food authorities sourced at least some food from manufacturers.[19]

Distribution channels in the food production industry

  • $497.687 million was Dole’s 2023 food-service revenue.[67]
  • $452.040 million was Dole’s 2022 food-service revenue.[67]
  • $126.396 million was Dole’s 2024 revenue from sales to unconsolidated affiliates.[67]
  • $37.9 billion was Performance Food Group’s 2024 net sales, up 6.4% year on year.[67]
  • $58.3 billion was Performance Food Group’s fiscal-2024 net revenue.[18]

Key questions about the food production industry

How large is U.S. food manufacturing by value of shipments?
U.S. food manufacturing recorded $1.05 trillion in value of shipments in 2024, with $1.0543 trillion reported in the latest Annual Integrated Economic Survey.
What is the expected growth rate for the global agrifood market?
Allianz Research expects the global agrifood market to grow at about 7% annually from 2025 to 2030, reaching more than $21 trillion for agriculture alone by 2030.
Which companies lead the food production industry?
Mars stands out for confectionery and snacks because it expected about $36 billion in annual revenue from the combined snacking business in 2025, while Cargill focuses on food ingredients and proteins since it reported 6.5% revenue growth.
What technology adoption patterns show up in food and beverage manufacturing?
In 2025, 22% of surveyed food manufacturers used artificial intelligence or machine learning, while 41% used real-time production-monitoring dashboards.
How concentrated is the U.S. food manufacturing industry?
The U.S. food manufacturing industry remains broad, with 1.70 million employees across employer businesses in 2024, and no single reliable current source reviewed provided a single national concentration ratio.
What does food safety regulation require for covered facilities?
Under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act, covered facilities must evaluate hazards, implement risk-based preventive controls, monitor those controls, and maintain records.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Food Production Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-production-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Food Production Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/food-production-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Food Production Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-production-industry-statistics.

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