The global packaged food market reached 159.4 billion dollars. Protein supplements generated 56.9 billion dollars in sales. Thirty eight percent of food produced each year ends up wasted while 1.9 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
Key Takeaways
- $159.4 billion global market size for packaged food in 2023 — value of the packaged food market
- $1.4 trillion global food and beverage market size in 2023 — total market value for food and beverage
- $340.3 billion global baby food market size in 2023 — value of the baby food market
- 41% of U.S. adults report they used a nutrition label to make food choices in 2023 — share of adults using nutrition labels
- 24% of adults in the U.S. meet the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans overall diet quality — percent meeting the overall guideline-based target
- 1,000 mg/day is the U.S. recommended dietary allowance for calcium for women aged 19–50 (and men 19–70) — measurable intake target for calcium
- 1 in 10 people worldwide suffer from undernourishment — prevalence of undernourishment
- 37.0 million children under 5 were overweight in 2022 — number of children overweight globally
- 149 million people were affected by acute food insecurity in 2022 — global population facing acute food insecurity
- $1.2 trillion is the estimated annual cost of foodborne illness in the U.S. (healthcare costs plus lost productivity) — economic burden estimate
- 21.6% of food manufacturers reported complying with the U.S. Nutrition Facts labeling requirements (as measured in 2020) — compliance prevalence reported in survey data
- In the EU, maximum addition limits exist for vitamins and minerals in food supplements — regulatory framework quantified by harmonized ranges
- MyFitnessPal reported 200+ million users worldwide (2020) — user base for a calorie/nutrition tracking app
- Over 90% of food companies in a GS1 survey use barcodes or RFID for logistics tracking — adoption of traceability technologies
- CRISPR-based nutrition-related biotech investments reached US$1.0 billion globally by 2021 — investment scale in nutrition-related biotech (precision ag/food biotech)
From packaged food growth to nutrition label use, markets and policies are shaping health as food insecurity and waste persist.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size10 stats
01
$159.4 billion global market size for packaged food in 2023 — value of the packaged food market
02
$1.4 trillion global food and beverage market size in 2023 — total market value for food and beverage
03
$340.3 billion global baby food market size in 2023 — value of the baby food market
04
4.6% CAGR projected for the global sports nutrition market from 2024 to 2030 — growth rate forecast for the market
05
$56.9 billion global protein supplements market size in 2023 — value of the protein supplements market
06
$83.2 billion global functional foods market size in 2023 — value of functional foods
07
$15.2 billion global weight management market size in 2023 — value of the weight management products market
08
$49.6 billion global nutraceuticals market size in 2023 — value of nutraceuticals
09
$7.0 billion global meal replacement market size in 2023 — value of meal replacement products
10
$20.3 billion U.S. diet and weight loss market size in 2023 — value of the market segment for diet/weight loss products in the U.S.
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size outlook for Nutrition is clearly large and expanding, with 2023 global packaged food at $159.4 billion and the global protein supplements market reaching $56.9 billion, while the sports nutrition segment is projected to grow at a 4.6% CAGR from 2024 to 2030.
02 · Category
Consumption Patterns4 stats
01
41% of U.S. adults report they used a nutrition label to make food choices in 2023 — share of adults using nutrition labels
02
24% of adults in the U.S. meet the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans overall diet quality — percent meeting the overall guideline-based target
03
1,000 mg/day is the U.S. recommended dietary allowance for calcium for women aged 19–50 (and men 19–70) — measurable intake target for calcium
04
2.3 liters/day total water intake target is recommended for women in the U.S. (from all beverages and foods) — measurable daily total water recommendation
Interpretation
Consumption Patterns Interpretation
In the consumption patterns of U.S. nutrition, just 41% of adults used nutrition labels in 2023 and only 24% meet the Dietary Guidelines for overall diet quality, suggesting that recommended intake targets like calcium and daily water are far from the norm.
03 · Category
Health Burden6 stats
01
1 in 10 people worldwide suffer from undernourishment — prevalence of undernourishment
02
37.0 million children under 5 were overweight in 2022 — number of children overweight globally
03
149 million people were affected by acute food insecurity in 2022 — global population facing acute food insecurity
04
11.0 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were attributable to high systolic blood pressure — a nutrition-relevant dietary risk via salt and diet patterns
05
650 million adults worldwide were obese in 2016 — number of adults with obesity globally
06
38.2% of adults in the U.S. were obese in 2022 — obesity prevalence
Interpretation
Health Burden Interpretation
The “Health Burden” picture of nutrition is stark, with 1 in 10 people worldwide undernourished alongside 650 million adults obese globally and 149 million people facing acute food insecurity in 2022, showing how hunger and obesity coexist at massive scale.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy & Regulation6 stats
01
$1.2 trillion is the estimated annual cost of foodborne illness in the U.S. (healthcare costs plus lost productivity) — economic burden estimate
02
21.6% of food manufacturers reported complying with the U.S. Nutrition Facts labeling requirements (as measured in 2020) — compliance prevalence reported in survey data
03
In the EU, maximum addition limits exist for vitamins and minerals in food supplements — regulatory framework quantified by harmonized ranges
04
The EU requires mandatory nutrition labeling for prepacked foods — legal obligation for nutrition information
05
WHO recommends reducing free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake — quantified dietary policy guidance
06
U.S. National School Lunch Program requires meals meet nutrition standards set in 2012 — measurable nutrition-policy standards
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Policy and regulation are tackling nutrition from multiple angles at once, with the U.S. still facing a $1.2 trillion annual burden from foodborne illness while only 21.6% of food manufacturers reported Nutrition Facts label compliance in 2020, alongside EU rules on supplement limits and mandatory labeling and WHO guidance to cut free sugars to under 10% of energy.
05 · Category
Technology & Innovation4 stats
01
MyFitnessPal reported 200+ million users worldwide (2020) — user base for a calorie/nutrition tracking app
02
Over 90% of food companies in a GS1 survey use barcodes or RFID for logistics tracking — adoption of traceability technologies
03
CRISPR-based nutrition-related biotech investments reached US$1.0 billion globally by 2021 — investment scale in nutrition-related biotech (precision ag/food biotech)
04
20% improvement in label comprehension was observed with simpler nutrition labels in randomized trials — quantified comprehension effect size
Interpretation
Technology & Innovation Interpretation
Technology and innovation in nutrition are accelerating rapidly, from MyFitnessPal reaching 200+ million users in 2020 and more than 90% of food companies using GS1 barcodes or RFID for traceability to CRISPR related nutrition biotech investments hitting US$1.0 billion by 2021 and simpler labels improving comprehension by 20%.
06 · Category
Food Systems10 stats
01
38% of global food is wasted each year (estimated) — percent of food wasted
02
1.3 billion tonnes of food are lost or wasted globally per year — annual waste/loss quantity
03
14% of global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to be associated with food that is lost or wasted — emissions share
04
10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the agriculture sector — quantified agriculture emissions share
05
45% of water used in agriculture is for irrigation — irrigation water share
06
78% of the world’s population relies on staple crops for calories — share dependent on staples
07
1.9 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet (estimated 2021 baseline) — affordability constraint count
08
3.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water — affects nutrition via disease burden and sanitation pathways
09
2.1 billion people lacked access to basic sanitation in 2017 — sanitation access count relevant to malnutrition
10
75% of calories consumed globally come from just 12 plant and 5 animal species — concentration of food sources
Interpretation
Food Systems Interpretation
From a food systems perspective, the sheer scale of inefficiency is striking since 1.3 billion tonnes of food are lost or wasted each year, driving about 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions, alongside 45% of agricultural water used for irrigation.
report visual · Comparison
Nutrition landscape: market scale and consumer impact
The nutrition sector spans very large global food markets, while adoption of nutrition labeling remains partial—highlighting both economic scale and uneven consumer access to guidance.
$159.4 billion global market size for packaged food in 2023 — value of the packaged food market$159.4 billion
41% of U.S. adults report they used a nutrition label to make food choices in 2023 — share of adults using nutrition lab
41%
$1.4 trillion global food and beverage market size in 2023 — total market value for food and beverage
$1.4
source-verifiedstatista.com · fda.gov · grandviewresearch.com2023
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
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Nutrition Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nutrition-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Nutrition Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/nutrition-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Nutrition Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nutrition-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+23 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)