Gitnux/Report 2026

Food Technology Industry Statistics

The global food technology market is projected at $257.78 billion in 2026, explore the figures behind growth to $554.92 billion by 2034 plus the company and trends readouts.
312Statistics
95Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
52mRead
November 11, 2026Updated
Food Technology Industry Statistics
Priya ChandrasekaranWritten by Priya Chandrasekaran·Edited by Claire Beaumont·Fact-checked by Olivia Thornton
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 technology industry at a glance

The global food technology market is projected at $257.78 billion in 2026, as AI, automation, digital traceability and alternative-protein technologies expand while investors demand clearer routes to commercial scale.

$257.78B[80]
Global market size, 2026
10.06%[80]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2034
$16B[81]
Global agrifoodtech funding, 2024
42%[10]
U.S. food-tech VC share, 2022–2024
Market size
The global food technology market was valued at $234.23 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $257.78 billion in 2026. The market definition spans technology used across food production, processing, distribution and related services.[80]
Forecast & CAGR
The global market is forecast to grow from $257.78 billion in 2026 to $554.92 billion in 2034, representing a 10.06% CAGR from 2026 to 2034.[80]
Market share & regions
The United States accounted for 42% of global food-tech venture-capital investment during 2022–2024, ahead of the EU-27 at 14%, India at 11% and China at 11%. The United States also represented 32% of food-tech start-ups during the period.[10]
Segmentation
Hardware was the leading market segment in 2025, with approximately 58% share, supported by demand for automation, robotics, smart sensors and inspection equipment. Food technology also includes software and services, digital supply-chain platforms, food delivery technology, biotechnology and alternative-protein systems.[80]
Key players & concentration
The market includes delivery platforms, restaurant-technology providers, food manufacturers, ingredient companies and biotechnology firms. In fermentation-enabled alternative proteins, GFI identified 163 companies focused primarily on fermentation in 2025, plus at least 267 companies involved through investment, partnerships or business-to-business products and services.[82]
Trends, drivers & challenges
AI and supply-chain tracking were the most frequently planned digital-transformation investments for 2025, cited by 50% and 48% of surveyed food-industry professionals, respectively. Growth is being driven by automation, labor pressures, traceability, sustainability and alternative proteins, while scale-up costs, unit economics, technical hurdles and tighter financing remain constraints.[3][82]
Consumer behavior & competition
In a 2025 consumer survey, 36% of respondents said they were likely or very likely to try plant-based proteins, compared with 20% for cultured meat, 15% for algae-based proteins and 8% for insect-based proteins. Consumer acceptance is stronger for digital tracking and smart packaging than for cellular agriculture, gene editing and 3D-printed food.[2]
M&A
Food-tech M&A accelerated in 2025: approximately $4 billion of food-tech transactions had been announced globally by June, compared with nearly $5.5 billion for all of 2024. Notable transactions included PepsiCo's $1.95 billion acquisition of Poppi, Flowers Foods' $795 million acquisition of Simple Mills and Hershey's $750 million purchase of LesserEvil.[83]
Regulation
Regulatory requirements remain a major commercialization factor for novel foods, fermentation-derived ingredients and cultivated products. GFI reported new regulatory milestones in the United States and China in 2025, while its review of the FDA GRAS inventory tracked fermentation-related GRAS “no questions” letters issued during the year.[82]
Latest news
The latest broad industry data indicate a selective recovery rather than a return to the 2021 investment peak: global agrifoodtech funding reached $16 billion in 2024, down 4% from 2023, while 2025 fermentation companies raised $357 million and brought cumulative sector investment since 2016 to $5.2 billion.[81][82]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Food Technology Industry

The leading companies in the food technology 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 snacking and food brands because it operates across more than 130 brands, while Cargill focuses on global food ingredients and processing since it connected farmers, food producers and consumers across global food systems and posted 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 snacking & food

    Mars

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.3 · Snacking & food

    Why we picked it: Its global snacking and food portfolio spans more than 130 brands, aligning with broad food-tech adoption and commercialization pressure.

    See in ranking ↓Visit mars.com ↗

  2. Leader in food ingredients

    Cargill

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.3 · Food ingredients

    Why we picked it: Food ingredients and agricultural processing sit beside its global links across farmers, producers and consumers.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cargill.com ↗

  3. Leader in multi-protein processing

    JBS

    NL

    Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Multi-protein processing

    Why we picked it: Its multi-protein production and processing footprint covers beef, poultry, plant-based and prepared foods globally.

    See in ranking ↓Visit jbs.com.br ↗

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

Mars

Snacking & food · US

9.3
2

Cargill

Food ingredients · US

9.3
3

JBS

Multi-protein processing · NL

9.1
4

Barry Callebaut

Chocolate & cocoa ingredients · CH

8.9
5

Danone

Dairy & nutrition · FR

8.8
6

Nestlé

Global food, beverage, nutrition and petcare products · CH

8.8
7

Impossible Foods

Plant-based meat and alternative protein foods · US

8.5
8

General Mills

Global packaged food and pet food manufacturing · US

8.5
9

ADM

Agricultural processing, food ingredients and nutrition · US

8.5
10

UPSIDE Foods

Cultivated meat and cellular food production · US

8.0

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

Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the food technology industry. In Food Technology Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-technology-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest food technology companies

Cargill leads with $164.0B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Cargill$164.0B
Nestlé$101.1B
JBS$86.2B
ADM$80.3B
Danone$29.5B
General Mills$19.5B
source-verifiedcargill.com · nestle.com · mediaroom.jbs.com.br · adm.com · danone.com · investors.generalmills.com2026

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI usage is widespread across suppliers, with 93% reporting AI use in FMI’s 2024 research, while manual tracing still affects 48% of surveyed companies.

AI in the food technology industry

  • 93% of food suppliers use artificial intelligence, compared with 47% of food retailers, according to FMI’s 2024 technology research.[1]
  • 34% of food-manufacturing respondents identified AI and machine learning as the most impactful technology for their industry.[2]
  • 47% of food retailers reported using AI in FMI’s food-industry technology research.[1]
  • 34% of surveyed food manufacturers ranked AI and machine learning above other technologies as the expected leading source of impact.[2]
  • Up to $127 billion a year could be unlocked by 2030 through AI applications that reduce food waste and improve circularity across the food system.[3]
  • 93% of food suppliers reported using AI in FMI’s food-industry technology research.[1]

Automation in the food technology industry

  • 34% of North American food and beverage organizations planned to increase automation in 2024.[4]
  • 48% of surveyed food companies still partly or completely relied on manual processes to trace products.[4]
  • Approximately 4% of global industrial-robot installations in 2024 went to the food and beverage sector.[5]
  • 60% of North American food and beverage processors, manufacturers and distributors were using technology to automate more tasks in 2023.[4]
  • 65% year-over-year growth was recorded in North America’s food and consumer-goods robot market in 2024.[6]
  • 56% of surveyed North American food companies planned to invest in technology to overcome supply-chain disruption.[4]

Digital Transformation in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 45% of North American technology and business decision-makers planned to adopt AI and machine learning to improve business within 12 to 24 months.[7]
  • 54.8% of surveyed organizations reported having a chief digital officer or another executive responsible for digital transformation.[8]
  • 34% of surveyed organizations globally identified replacing or upgrading legacy technology as a top digital-transformation goal in 2024.[7]
  • 72% of digital leaders globally expected to increase technology spending in 2024, compared with 50% of digital laggards, according to a survey of 855 technology and business decision-makers.[7]
  • 75% of digital leaders globally planned to increase AI-related business expenditure in 2024.[7]

Technology Adoption in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 57.7% of surveyed organizations reported having a chief information security officer or equivalent in 2024.[8]
  • 67.6% of IT services were delivered through cloud infrastructure among surveyed organizations in 2024.[8]
  • 51.8% of surveyed organizations reported that AI solutions were somewhat or extremely rare in 2024.[8]
  • More than 50% of surveyed global IT decision-makers were exploring AI use cases or piloting AI technologies in 2024.[7]

Cloud Computing in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52.7% of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[9]
  • 65.5% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services used them for security software applications in 2025.[9]
  • 71.5% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services used them for file storage in 2025.[9]
  • 26.1% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services used computing platforms for application development, testing or deployment in 2025.[9]
  • 85.2% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services used them for email in 2025.[9]
  • 71.7% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services used them for office software in 2025.[9]

Big Data in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 40% was the highest reported enterprise adoption rate for big-data analytics across OECD countries in the latest available data through 2023.[10]
  • 3% was the lowest reported enterprise adoption rate for big-data analytics across OECD countries in the latest available data through 2023.[10]
  • Big-data analytics adoption averaged 14% among OECD enterprises with at least 10 employees, compared with 49% for cloud computing in the latest comparable data.[10]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Business intelligence in the food technology industry

  • 69% of food suppliers used artificial intelligence in 2023, according to FMI’s food-industry technology research.[1]
  • Food and beverage companies using industry-specific business-intelligence software reported 66% higher revenue growth than companies without BI software in the latest financial year surveyed.[11]
  • 41% of food retailers used artificial intelligence in 2023, according to FMI’s food-industry technology research.[1]
  • Food suppliers allocated 1.9% of sales to technology investment in 2023, according to FMI.[1]
  • 85% of food retailers used data analytics in 2023, according to FMI’s food-industry technology research.[1]
  • 25% of food and beverage organizations reported difficulty quickly obtaining and analyzing business-performance and efficiency data in 2024.[11]

Data analytics in the food technology industry

  • 25% of food-manufacturing survey respondents used data analytics for automated inventory-reorder-point calculations in 2025.[2]
  • 21% of food-manufacturing survey respondents used data analytics for equipment-failure prediction and prevention in 2025.[2]
  • 31% of food-manufacturing survey respondents said data analytics was most valuable for real-time production-line performance tracking in 2025.[2]
  • 27% of food-manufacturing survey respondents said data analytics was most valuable for product-yield-loss tracking and alerts in 2025.[2]
  • 33% of food-manufacturing survey respondents said data analytics was most valuable for identifying production bottlenecks in 2025.[2]
  • 25% of food-manufacturing survey respondents used data analytics for energy-consumption patterns and peak-usage alerts in 2025.[2]

Data Quality in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • In 2025, 35% of organizations globally rated their data excellent for consistency and standardization, across surveyed technology and business organizations.[12]
  • In 2025, 46% of organizations globally rated their data excellent for accuracy and integrity, across surveyed technology and business organizations.[12]
  • In 2025, 46% of organizations globally said they were fully confident in their data quality, across surveyed technology and business organizations.[12]
  • In 2025, 34% of organizations globally rated their data excellent for relevance and suitability, across surveyed technology and business organizations.[12]
  • In 2024, 95% of enterprise data leaders and practitioners reported a data-quality issue with a direct impact on business outcomes, across companies with at least $1 billion in revenue.[13]
  • In 2025, 43% of organizations globally rated their data excellent for quality and completeness, across surveyed technology and business organizations.[12]

Data Governance in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • In 2024, 18.3% of organizations reported having a data-governance or catalog solution as part of their governance program, according to a global governance study.[14]
  • In 2024, 81.7% of organizations reported having no data-governance or catalog solution as part of their governance program, according to a global governance study.[14]
  • In 2024, 35% of U.S. technology executives prioritized data governance among their data-management areas for the next 12 months.[15]
  • In 2024, 32% of global technology leaders prioritized data governance among their data-management areas for the next 12 months.[15]
  • In 2024, 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function, based on an Institute for Supply Management survey.[16]
  • In 2026, 76% of global data leaders said their company’s AI governance did not completely keep pace with employee use of AI technology.[14]

KPIs in the food technology industry

  • A 1% increase in overall equipment effectiveness on $1 million of food-manufacturing output may contribute $25,000–$35,000 in additional gross margin.[17]
  • 2024 U.S. food-manufacturing labor productivity was indexed at 94.037 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics series.[18]
  • A food-industry digital-integration system may deliver 6%–20% more savings for a lean team than were identified without the system.[17]
  • 39% of Australian food and beverage manufacturers and distributors reported reviewing production KPIs in 2024.[19]
  • At least 1,200 data points from multiple systems are required for a robust food-manufacturing digital-integration system, according to Ontario’s food-manufacturing guidance.[17]
  • Some food processors achieved a 6% or greater improvement in overall equipment effectiveness through power-quality and ERP improvements.[17]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Investment funding is selective: global agrifoodtech funding reached $16 billion in 2024, down 4% from 2023, while developing-market investment rose.

Growth in the food technology industry

  • $3.7 billion was invested in developing-market agrifood technology in 2024, up 63% year over year.[20]
  • 2,031 agrifood technology investment deals were recorded globally in 2024.[20]
  • $6.6 billion was invested in United States agrifood technology startups in 2024, up 14% from 2023.[20]
  • 41% was the year-over-year investment increase for midstream agrifood technology in 2024.[20]
  • $16 billion was invested globally in agrifood technology in 2024, down 4% from 2023.[20]
  • 45% was the 2024 investment growth rate for cloud-retail infrastructure, the fastest-growing agrifood technology category.[20]

Differentiation in the food technology industry

  • 49% of United States consumers preferred third-party apps for browsing food in 2024, making platform discoverability a competitive factor.[21]
  • 56% of United States consumers chose restaurants they visit often when ordering delivery or takeout in 2024.[21]
  • 32 cellular-agriculture companies were included in Forward Fooding’s 2024 FoodTech 500 ranking.[22]
  • 32 food-technology companies were classified in the cellular-agriculture segment of the 2024 FoodTech 500.[22]
  • 370 FoodTech 500 finalist companies were actively generating revenue in 2024.[22]
  • 33% of United States diners actively sought local restaurants when ordering in 2024.[21]

Mergers and acquisitions in the food technology industry

  • $24.8 billion was the value of food-and-beverage deals closed in the fourth quarter of 2024.[23]
  • 67% of United States food-and-beverage M&A deal volume in the second half of 2024 involved food-products companies.[24]
  • $149.9 billion was the reported value of global food-and-beverage mergers and acquisitions in 2024.[23]
  • $83.1 billion was the reported value of global food-and-beverage mergers and acquisitions in 2023.[23]
  • $36 billion was the value of Mars’s acquisition of Kellanova announced in August 2024.[24]
  • $40.8 billion was the combined value of United States food-and-beverage M&A deals closed in the second half of 2024.[24]

Strategic partnerships in the food technology industry

  • 100% of surveyed food-and-beverage companies identified direct suppliers as strategic partners in 2023.[25]
  • 77% of companies with anticipated sales below $500 million identified direct suppliers as their most strategic partners in 2023.[25]
  • 11% of companies in a 2023 supply-chain survey identified competitors or peers among their most strategic partners.[25]
  • 10% of companies in a 2023 supply-chain survey identified non-traditional industry providers among their most strategic partners.[25]
  • 47% of companies in a 2023 supply-chain survey identified digital-solution providers among their most strategic partners.[25]
  • 14% of companies in a 2023 supply-chain survey identified indirect suppliers among their most strategic partners.[25]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce and knowledge retention remain operational constraints, with 60% of food and beverage organizations using technology to prevent knowledge loss from staff turnover.

Hiring in the food technology industry

  • 71% of U.S. science-of-food professionals reported receiving a raise during the prior year in IFT’s 2024 research.[3]
  • $107,300 was the median compensation for U.S. science-of-food professionals in IFT’s 2024 research.[3]
  • 15% of U.S. science-of-food professionals with a second job reported teaching as their additional employment.[3]
  • 10% of U.S. science-of-food professionals with a second job reported research as their additional employment.[3]
  • 2.5% was the decline in median compensation for U.S. science-of-food professionals compared with IFT’s 2022 report.[3]

Employee retention in the food technology industry

  • 2.5% was the reported decrease in median U.S. science-of-food compensation from 2022 to 2024.[3]
  • Nearly one-third of surveyed U.S. science-of-food professionals had pursued a job move within the previous 24 months.[3]
  • 60% of surveyed food and beverage organizations had used technology to prevent knowledge loss from staff turnover.[11]
  • $107,300 was the median compensation reported by U.S. science-of-food professionals in 2024.[3]
  • 59% of surveyed North American food and beverage organizations had restructured working patterns to retain more staff.[11]

Remote Work in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 10% of technology-services respondents worked under fully flexible arrangements in 2025, allowing employees substantial control over remote work.[26]
  • 48% of U.S. software and IT professionals surveyed worked remotely in 2026, compared with 21% in France.[27]
  • 84% of technology-services employers agreed in 2025 that the ability to work remotely is important for employee retention.[26]
  • 34.8% of global software and IT services respondents worked remotely in 2026, according to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey.[27]
  • 6% of global respondents worked fully remotely in 2025, defined as spending less than one day per week in the office.[26]

Hybrid Work in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs preferred hybrid work in November 2025, compared with 33% preferring fully remote work.[28]
  • 56% of IT employees worked in hybrid arrangements in 2025, while 31% were fully remote and 13% attended the office daily.[29]
  • 47% of global respondents worked in hybrid arrangements in 2025, down from 63% in Cisco’s 2022 study.[26]
  • 52% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs worked in hybrid arrangements in May 2026, according to Gallup.[28]
  • 55% of technology-services respondents worked in a hybrid arrangement in 2025, the highest share among industries measured by Cisco.[26]

Upskilling in the food technology industry

  • 71% of surveyed food and beverage companies had upskilled existing employees to reduce recruitment needs.[11]
  • 60% of surveyed food and beverage organizations had used technology to prevent knowledge loss associated with staff turnover.[11]

Employee Engagement in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 37% of exclusively remote U.S. employees were engaged in May 2026, compared with 34% of hybrid employees and 29% of on-site employees with remote-capable jobs.[28]
  • 22.2% of global software and IT respondents were happy with their current professional role in 2026, while 32.6% were unhappy.[27]
  • 54% of exclusively remote U.S. employees were thriving in May 2026, compared with 52% of hybrid employees and 49% of on-site employees with remote-capable jobs.[28]
  • 74% of respondents approved of fully flexible hybrid policies in 2025, the highest positive sentiment among the policy types Cisco measured.[26]
  • 92% of employees ranked collaboration and community as very important aspects of office culture in Cisco’s 2025 global study.[26]

Change Management in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 87% of SAP change-management respondents believed AI would influence change management during the five years following the 2025 survey.[30]
  • 86% of SAP change managers said in 2025 that change management gives their business a competitive advantage.[30]
  • 42% of SAP change-management respondents cited inability to scale change management to business needs as a challenge in 2025.[30]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Platform scale shapes demand signals: DoorDash reported 42 million monthly active users in December 2024 and 75% of U.S. grocery-and-retail orders were placed by DashPass members in Q2 2026.

Customer experience in the food technology industry

  • 65% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high success ratings said they were likely to recommend the brand in 2023.[31]
  • 82 points was U.S. food-delivery website satisfaction in 2025, according to ACSI.[32]
  • 74 points was the 2025 U.S. food-delivery industry customer-satisfaction score on ACSI’s 0–100 scale.[32]
  • 75 points was the 2025 U.S. food-delivery score for order accuracy and quoted-delivery-time accuracy.[32]
  • 84% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high emotional-experience ratings said they were likely to purchase more in 2023.[31]

Customer retention in the food technology industry

  • 81% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high effort ratings said they were likely to purchase more in 2023.[31]
  • 69% was the 30-day retention rate for food-and-drink mobile apps in the 2023 benchmark report.[33]
  • 75% of DoorDash U.S. grocery-and-retail orders were placed by DashPass members in the second quarter of 2026.[34]
  • 80% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high success ratings said they were likely to purchase more in 2023.[31]
  • 84% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high emotion ratings said they were likely to purchase more in 2023.[31]

Customer acquisition in the food technology industry

  • 42 million monthly active users were on DoorDash in December 2024.[34]
  • 10% was the 2024 growth in the number of U.S. merchants active on Uber Eats.[35]
  • 32% was DoorDash’s year-over-year growth in total orders in the fourth quarter of 2025.[34]
  • 30% of Uber’s first-time Delivery customers were acquired from the Uber app in 2025.[36]
  • 140 million customers had something delivered with Uber Eats globally in 2024.[35]

Customer loyalty in the food technology industry

  • 46.5% of food-delivery consumers cited faster delivery times as a loyalty factor in 2025.[37]
  • 26.9% of food-delivery consumers who switched apps cited loyalty programs as the reason in 2025.[37]
  • 58.8% of food-delivery consumers cited lower delivery fees as a loyalty factor in Gridwise’s 2025 survey.[37]
  • 50.6% of food-delivery consumers cited promotions or rewards as a loyalty factor in 2025.[37]
  • 43.5% of food-delivery consumers cited restaurant variety as a loyalty factor in 2025.[37]

Lead generation in the food technology industry

  • 35 million DashPass, Wolt+ and Deliveroo Plus members were reported by DoorDash at the end of 2025.[34]
  • 47,000 additional jobs for merchant partners were supported by Uber Eats in the United States in 2024.[35]
  • 30 billion user sessions reached Uber’s Mobility and Eats apps during the 12 months reported in 2025.[36]
  • 1.5 million merchants partnered with Uber Eats across more than 11,000 municipalities and six continents in 2024.[35]
  • Nearly 2 times as many advertising partners were using DoorDash’s Symbiosys from June to December 2025.[34]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Technology spend and channel impact are measurable, with food retailers reporting a 1% of total sales average technology investment in 2024 and 63% reporting positive impact from new digital marketing channels.

Marketing in the food technology industry

  • 1% of total sales was the average technology investment reported by food retailers in 2024.[1]
  • 63% of food retailers reported a positive impact from new digital marketing channels in 2024.[1]
  • 10 billion dollars was Walmart’s global advertising business revenue or cost-of-sales reduction in fiscal 2025 reporting.[38]
  • 27% was Walmart’s advertising growth in fiscal 2025.[38]
  • 1.5% of sales was the technology allocation reported by food suppliers in 2024.[1]

Digital marketing in the food technology industry

  • 568 million dollars was Uber Delivery’s year-over-year increase in advertising revenue in 2025, including digital platform advertising.[39]
  • Nearly 2 times as many advertising partners used DoorDash’s Symbiosys in December 2025 as in June 2025.[34]
  • 30% of first-time Uber Delivery customers were acquired from the Uber app in 2025.[36]
  • 8.3 billion Walmart units were delivered the same or next day in fiscal 2025 through its digitally enabled retail network.[38]
  • 27% was Walmart’s advertising growth in fiscal 2025 across its retail-media business.[38]

Branding in the food technology industry

  • 76% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high emotional-experience ratings said they were likely to trust the brand in 2023.[31]
  • 3.6 times more likely were consumers to return and purchase more from a food takeout or delivery brand after a successful experience in 2023.[31]
  • 66% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high emotional-experience ratings said they were likely to forgive the brand in 2023.[31]
  • 69% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high emotional-experience ratings said they were likely to recommend the brand in 2023.[31]
  • 61% of U.S. food-delivery consumers with high success ratings said they were likely to forgive the brand in 2023.[31]

Social media in the food technology industry

  • 5 billion active social-media users were reported globally in the Digital 2024 Global Overview cited by a 2025 food-marketing study.[40]
  • 2.9% was the Instagram engagement rate reported for food-and-drink brands in the 2027 social-media benchmark report.[41]
  • 1,000 social-media posts from 10 major food and beverage companies were analyzed across Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok in a 2025 study.[40]
  • 4 major social platforms—Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok—were covered in the 2025 food-and-beverage marketing study.[40]
  • 10 prominent food and beverage companies were included in a comparative social-media marketing study published in 2025.[40]

Influencer Marketing in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across technology companies, 64% of marketers reported dedicated and growing budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026, according to Nielsen’s global marketing survey.[42]
  • Across B2B companies, 43% of marketers reported outstanding results from their influencer programs in the 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report.[43]
  • Across B2B companies, 58% of marketing teams reported using an always-on influencer marketing approach in the 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report.[43]
  • Across technology companies, 27% of marketers reported dedicated but flat budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026, according to Nielsen’s global marketing survey.[42]
  • Across B2B companies, 55% of marketing organizations were using influencers in 2025, based on an Ipsos survey of 1,500 marketing leaders.[44]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Automation adoption varies by process, including 21% of companies having fully automated production scheduling in 2025 and 13% fully automated food-safety monitoring.

Process optimization in the food technology industry

  • 21% of food and beverage companies had fully automated production scheduling in 2025, while 48% had partially automated it.[2]
  • 22% of food and beverage companies had fully automated inventory management in 2025, while 48% had partially automated it.[2]
  • 28% of North American food and beverage companies had fully automated production-line control in 2025, while 37% used mixed digital and manual processes.[2]
  • 35% of Canadian food and beverage processors used process optimization or waste assessments as a food-waste reduction strategy in 2023–24.[45]
  • 34% of North American food and beverage processors, manufacturers and distributors planned to increase automation in 2024.[4]

Operational efficiency in the food technology industry

  • 90% of food processors, manufacturers and distributors surveyed by Aptean were in the process of digital transformation in 2023.[11]
  • Food processors, manufacturers and distributors using automation achieved 1.3 percentage points higher revenue growth than manual-operation companies in 2021–22.[11]
  • 60% of food manufacturing professionals expected their facility’s throughput to increase in 2025, by 20% on average.[6]
  • Automation was reported as capable of increasing food-company efficiency by up to 40% in Aptean’s North American research.[4]
  • Enterprise asset management and computerized maintenance-management-system users recorded 7.7% revenue growth in 2021–22, compared with 5.3% for non-users.[11]

Quality management in the food technology industry

  • 53% of U.S. food and beverage recalls from 2002–2023 were Class I recalls, 41% were Class II and 6% were Class III.[46]
  • 96% of U.S. Class I food and beverage recalls from 2002–2023 involved biological contamination or allergens.[46]
  • 13% of food and beverage companies had fully automated food-safety monitoring in 2025, while 48% had partially automated it.[2]
  • 40% of U.S. food and beverage recalls from 2002–2023 involved Listeria or Salmonella.[46]
  • 11% of food and beverage companies had fully automated quality testing and documentation in 2025, while 39% had partially automated it.[2]

Supply chain in the food technology industry

  • 56% of North American food companies identified supply-chain visibility as a priority goal for automation investment in 2024.[4]
  • 31% of food waste was donated by food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain organizations surveyed in 2025.[47]
  • 56% of North American food companies planned to increase traceability in 2024.[4]
  • 75% of food, grocery and restaurant supply-chain leaders said reducing food waste was a challenge in 2025.[47]
  • 46% of North American food companies wanted to align production schedules with available inventory in 2024.[4]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the software and IT services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across European organizations, 35% planned to increase their use of nearshore outsourcing in the 2024/2025 sourcing study.[48]
  • Among German IT-service generalists, 10.2% of digital-experience services for customer projects were delivered offshore in 2024.[49]
  • Across EU enterprises sourcing business functions internationally during 2021–2023, 28.7% moved information and communication technology services abroad.[9]
  • Among German IT-service generalists, 19.5% of digital-experience services for customer projects were delivered nearshore in 2024.[49]
  • Across German digital-experience service providers, 13.2% of services for customer projects were delivered nearshore in 2024.[49]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Unit economics and funding constraints align with adoption: automation was reported as capable of lowering food-company operating costs by up to 12% while food-tech M&A volumes accelerated in 2025.

Pricing strategy in the food technology industry

  • $2 to $5 was the usual customer delivery-fee range for third-party food-delivery orders in Massachusetts.[50]
  • 16.6% was the median total take-rate among 29 restaurant and food-delivery marketplace companies analyzed in 2024.[51]
  • 15% was the maximum customer service-fee surcharge cited for third-party food-delivery orders in Massachusetts.[50]
  • 15% was the average commission restaurants reported paying on each online order in 2024.[52]
  • 17% was the reported increase in overall sales volume after restaurants implemented online ordering in 2024.[53]

Cost reduction in the food technology industry

  • 30% of North American food companies cited reducing waste as an automation driver in 2023.[4]
  • 24% of North American food companies cited increasing production speed as an automation driver in 2023.[4]
  • 29% of North American food companies cited reducing operational costs as an automation driver in 2023.[4]
  • Automation was reported as capable of lowering food-company operating costs by up to 12%.[4]
  • 27% of North American food companies cited improving scalability as an automation driver in 2023.[4]

Profitability in the food technology industry

  • 7.7% was the 2021–22 revenue growth rate for food companies using quality-management systems, compared with 5.1% for non-users.[11]
  • 7.1% was the 2021–22 revenue growth rate for food companies using supply-chain-management software, compared with 5.7% for non-users.[11]
  • 6.5% was the 2021–22 revenue growth rate for food companies using warehouse-management systems, compared with 6.7% for non-users.[11]
  • 7.3% was the 2021–22 revenue growth rate for food companies using business-intelligence software, compared with 5.8% for non-users.[11]
  • 7.2% was the 2021–22 revenue growth rate for food companies using freight-management systems, compared with 6.0% for non-users.[11]

Financial planning in the food technology industry

  • 48% of North American food companies still partly or completely relied on manual processes to trace products in 2023.[4]
  • 52% of food and beverage companies planned to use enterprise asset management, freight-management or shipping software within 12–24 months.[4]
  • 56% of North American food companies planned to invest in technology to overcome supply-chain disruption in 2024.[4]
  • 54% of North American food companies wanted technology to improve inventory-level management in 2024.[4]
  • 36% of North American food companies identified supply-chain disruption as a priority goal for technology investment in 2024.[4]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product digitization still lags: only 2% of surveyed food and beverage brands said their product-development processes were fully digitized in 2025.

Product development in the food technology industry

  • 45% of food and beverage companies cited reducing ingredient and manufacturing costs as a top innovation driver in 2025.[54]
  • 42% of food and beverage manufacturers cited meeting consumer demand as a major reason for increasing product-development investment in 2024.[54]
  • 67.7% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses introduced at least one innovation during fiscal years 2021–2023.[55]
  • 83% of food and beverage brands planned to increase new-product-development investment in 2025, according to a global industry survey.[54]
  • 45% of food and beverage companies cited meeting demand for healthier products as a top innovation driver in 2025.[54]

Product lifecycle in the food technology industry

  • 58.2% of Canadian food-manufacturing businesses spent up to 5% of total expenditures on innovation activities during 2021–2023.[55]
  • Only 2% of surveyed food and beverage brands said their product-development processes were fully digitized in 2025.[56]
  • 42,523 new food products were launched in the United States in 2024.[57]
  • 23% of food-manufacturing survey respondents said they did not currently use data analytics in 2025.[2]
  • U.S. food and beverage product launches declined 0.68% in 2024 compared with 2022.[57]

After-sales in the food technology industry

  • 75 was Uber Eats’ 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index score in the United States.[32]
  • 73 was Grubhub’s 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index score in the United States.[32]
  • 74 was the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index score for the U.S. food-delivery industry.[32]
  • 74 was the 2025 U.S. food-delivery score for food temperature on the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 0–100 scale.[32]
  • 73 was DoorDash’s 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index score in the United States.[32]

Value proposition in the food technology industry

  • 7% of consumers would pay more than 15% extra for longer shelf life in 2025.[2]
  • 54% of consumers would not pay extra for personalization options in a 2025 food-technology survey.[2]
  • 33% of consumers would not pay extra for superior taste in a 2025 food-technology survey.[2]
  • 79% of surveyed U.S. adults were open to trying food-technology foods in 2024.[58]
  • 47% of consumers would not pay extra for authenticity verification in a 2025 food-technology survey.[2]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Environmental reporting and Scope 3 intensity remain central, with 88% of EU food and drink industry greenhouse-gas emissions as Scope 3 emissions in 2025.

Sustainability in the food technology industry

  • 9% of manufacturing water use in the EU was attributable to the food and drink industry in 2023.[59]
  • 58 million tonnes of food were lost or wasted in the EU in 2023, equivalent to approximately 130 kilograms per inhabitant.[59]
  • 88% of EU food and drink industry greenhouse-gas emissions were Scope 3 emissions in 2025, with 73% arising from primary agricultural production.[59]
  • 98% of High Liner Foods’ seafood sources were reported as responsible in fiscal 2025.[60]
  • 6% was DalterFood Group’s reduction in Scope 3 emissions in 2024 compared with 2023, to 249,151 tonnes of CO₂.[61]

ESG in the food technology industry

  • 99% of McDonald’s primary fiber-based guest packaging globally came from recycled or certified sources in 2024.[62]
  • 49% more agricultural, food and beverage companies reported Scope 3 emissions to CDP in 2024 than in the previous year.[63]
  • More than 85% of Ingredion’s Tier 1 priority crops were sustainably sourced in 2024.[64]
  • 38.5% of Nestlé’s company board members were women in 2024.[65]
  • 22% was Ingredion’s absolute carbon-emissions reduction from 2019 through 2024.[64]

Ethics in the food technology industry

  • 30% of surveyed New York City app-based food-delivery workers lacked health insurance in 2026.[66]
  • 70% of surveyed New York City app-based food-delivery workers contacted an app about deactivation in the month before the 2026 survey.[66]
  • 40% of surveyed New York City app-based food-delivery workers reported severe psychological distress in 2026.[66]
  • 52% of surveyed New York City app-based food-delivery workers worried about deactivation in 2026.[66]
  • 56% of surveyed New York City app-based food-delivery workers worked during bad weather in 2026.[66]

CSR in the food technology industry

  • 22,000 hours of employee e-learning were provided by High Liner Foods in fiscal 2025.[60]
  • $110 million or more was contributed to Washington, D.C.’s local economy by Dashers in 2024.[67]
  • 300,000 or more Project DASH deliveries had been completed in Washington, D.C. by January 2024.[67]
  • 1,090 volunteer hours were reported by High Liner Foods in fiscal 2025.[60]
  • 65,000 people dashed in Washington, D.C., in 2024, including more than 30,000 new Dashers.[67]

Circular economy in the food technology industry

  • 2.9 million pounds of food waste were diverted from landfill by High Liner Foods in fiscal 2025.[60]
  • 13.2 million tons of surplus food were generated by the U.S. manufacturing sector in 2024.[68]
  • 89.6% of McDonald’s restaurants in markets with advanced infrastructure offered recycling or composting opportunities in 2024.[62]
  • 80.3% was the reduction in virgin fossil-fuel-based plastic in McDonald’s Happy Meal toys from 2018 through 2024.[62]
  • 7.2% of food waste in the U.S. manufacturing sector, equal to 482,000 tons, went to landfill in 2024.[68]

Carbon footprint in the food technology industry

  • 36.04 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions came from distribution in the EU food and drink sector’s Scope 3 emissions in 2025.[59]
  • 62.53 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions came from packaging in the EU food and drink sector’s Scope 3 emissions in 2025.[59]
  • 38.6 million metric tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions were associated annually with U.S. manufacturing-sector surplus food in 2024.[68]
  • 249,151 tonnes of CO₂ were DalterFood Group’s Scope 3 emissions in 2024.[61]
  • 84.2 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions represented Scope 1 and 2 emissions from the EU food and drink industry in 2025.[59]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Regional investment leadership persists while demand shifts: the United States accounted for 42% of global food-tech venture-capital investment in 2022–2024.

Globalization in the food technology industry

  • €182 billion was the value of European Union food-and-drink exports outside the EU in 2023.[74]
  • 2.3% of world food-and-beverage export value added came from developing economies’ raw agricultural commodities in 2022.[75]
  • 9% of world food-and-beverage export value added came from China, Germany and the United States each in 2022.[75]
  • €80 billion was the European Union food-and-drink trade surplus in 2023.[74]
  • 65% of European Union food-and-drink exports went to the Single Market in 2023.[74]

Cultural adaptation in the food technology industry

  • 566 Saudi adults participated in a 2024 quantitative study of food-delivery-app use and food behaviors during COVID-19.[40]
  • 84.2% of United States adults reported purchasing a meal prepared outside the home during the previous seven days in 2018.[40]
  • 66.7% of United Kingdom adults reported purchasing a meal prepared outside the home during the previous seven days in 2021.[40]
  • 94.3% of Mexican adults reported purchasing a meal prepared outside the home during the previous seven days in 2018.[40]
  • 70.6% of Canadian adults reported purchasing a meal prepared outside the home during the previous seven days in 2021.[40]

Supplier management in the food technology industry

  • 100% of surveyed food-and-beverage companies identified direct suppliers as strategic partners in a 2023 supply-chain survey.[25]
  • 32% of specialty food manufacturers reported using relational contracts with their principal supplier.[76]
  • 23% of specialty food manufacturers reported using formal contracts with their principal supplier.[76]
  • 50% of midsize specialty food manufacturers used relational contracts with their principal supplier.[76]
  • 23% of specialty food manufacturers reported buying from their principal supplier on the open market.[76]

Stakeholder management in the food technology industry

  • 28 stakeholders—including restaurateurs, couriers, consumers and platform administrators—were interviewed in a study of an independent food-delivery service.[77]
  • 32 cellular-agriculture companies appeared in the 2024 FoodTech 500 ranking, representing a distinct stakeholder group in food technology.[22]
  • 17 Saudi food-delivery-app users continued from the quantitative phase into the qualitative phase of a 2024 mixed-methods study.[40]
  • 370 companies in the 2024 FoodTech 500 ranking were actively generating revenue, providing an industry-company base for stakeholder engagement analysis.[22]

Distribution channels in the food technology industry

  • 23% of United States meal-delivery consumer spending went to Uber Eats in March 2024.[78]
  • 86% of United States diners ordered through third-party apps at least twice per month in 2024.[21]
  • 39.8% of global internet users aged 16 and older used websites or mobile apps to order takeaway or delivery food in the fourth quarter of 2023.[79]
  • 68% of United States consumers reported dining at a restaurant in the previous month in 2024.[21]
  • 51% of United States consumers preferred third-party apps for browsing food in 2024.[21]

Key questions about the Food Technology Industry

What is the 2026 market size for the global food technology market?
The global food technology market is projected at $257.78 billion in 2026.
How fast is the global food technology market expected to grow after 2026?
The market is forecast to grow from $257.78 billion in 2026 to $554.92 billion in 2034, a 10.06% CAGR from 2026 to 2034.
Which companies lead the food technology industry?
Mars stands out for snacking and food brands because it operates across more than 130 brands, while Cargill focuses on global food ingredients and processing since it connected farmers, food producers and consumers across global food systems and posted 6.5% revenue growth.
Which technology shifts are most commonly planned in food digitization efforts?
AI and supply-chain tracking were the most frequently planned digital-transformation investments for 2025, cited by 50% and 48% of surveyed food-industry professionals, respectively.
What does the market structure look like by segment in 2025?
Hardware was the leading market segment in 2025, with approximately 58% share, supported by demand for automation, robotics, smart sensors and inspection equipment.
What constraints show up most often when scaling food technology?
Scale-up costs, unit economics, technical hurdles and tighter financing remain constraints.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Food Technology Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-technology-industry-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Food Technology Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/food-technology-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Food Technology Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-technology-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

95 sources cited across this report

  1. fmi.org
  2. marketing.foodindustryexecutive.com
  3. ift.org
  4. assets.ctfassets.net
  5. roboticsinmfg.com
  6. foodengineeringmag.com
  7. teksystems.com
  8. higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com
  9. ec.europa.eu
  10. oecd.org
  11. foodindustryexecutive.com
  12. riverbed.com
  13. anomalo.com
  14. informatica.com
  15. kpmg.com
  16. utah.ismworld.org
  17. ontario.ca
  18. fred.stlouisfed.org
  19. commbank.com.au
  20. agfundernews.com
  21. downloads.ctfassets.net
  22. forwardfooding.com
  23. foodinstitute.com
  24. bakertilly.com
  25. collegepro.org
  26. newsroom.cisco.com
  27. survey.stackoverflow.co
  28. gallup.com
  29. computerworld.com
  30. cio.com
  31. qualtrics.com
  32. theacsi.com
  33. alchemer.com
  34. ir.doordash.com
  35. merchants.uber.com
  36. s23.q4cdn.com
  37. 7021468.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
  38. corporate.walmart.com
  39. sec.gov
  40. doi.org
  41. social.mozaik.com
  42. brand-news.it
  43. toprankmarketing.com
  44. business.linkedin.com
  45. publications.gc.ca
  46. sciencedirect.com
  47. impinj.com
  48. whitelane.com
  49. luenendonk.de
  50. mapc.org
  51. williamblair.com
  52. marketingdev.touchbistro.com
  53. fsrmagazine.com
  54. tracegains.com
  55. www150.statcan.gc.ca
  56. prnewswire.com
  57. honey.com
  58. ladder17.com
  59. fooddrinkeurope.eu
  60. highlinerfoods.com
  61. dalterfood.com
  62. corporate.mcdonalds.com
  63. pwc.com
  64. sustainabilityreports.com
  65. scribd.com
  66. cunyurbanfoodpolicy.org
  67. about.doordash.com
  68. refed.org
  69. isc2.org
  70. gtia.org
  71. cdn.sypher.eu
  72. pagerduty.com
  73. financialfilings.com
  74. foodsafetyplatform.eu
  75. wto.org
  76. fdrsinc.org
  77. arxiv.org
  78. apnews.com
  79. learn.meltwater.com
  80. fortunebusinessinsights.com
  81. agfunder.com
  82. gfi.org
  83. news.crunchbase.com
  84. mars.com
  85. cargill.com
  86. jbs.com.br
  87. barry-callebaut.com
  88. danone.com
  89. nestle.com
  90. impossiblefoods.com
  91. prod-preview.generalmills.com
  92. adm.com
  93. upsidefoods.com
  94. fda.gov
  95. cdn1.tenchat.ru