Food sector optimistic in May

The mood in the food industry improved further in May. Never before since the government took the first corona measures in mid-March 2020 and decided on an intelligent lockdown have entrepreneurs been so positive about the economic climate. Almost 20 percent expected an improvement in the economic climate for their company at the beginning of May, compared to less than 4 percent who expected a deterioration. In May last year, pessimistic entrepreneurs were still by far in the majority in the food industry when it came to the economic climate (balance of optimists/pessimists: -41 percent). This is evident from an analysis of recent CBS figures by our editors.

Improvement on many fronts

Compared to the expectations in May last year, the mood among food entrepreneurs in May this year has improved in many respects. On balance, 14 percent now expect an increase in production/activity in the next three months versus 28 percent who expected a decrease in May 2020. In May last year, 19 percent expected sales prices to fall and now 12 percent expects prices to rise. There is also much more optimism about the anticipated staffing level: now 11 percent expect a net staff increase, while in May 11 percent expected staff cuts. Finally, in May, the order position of the food industry in terms of months of work increased from 2.2 to 2.3 compared to May last year.