Highest operating result in bread and pasta industry

The operating result of the food industry (difference between total turnover and total operating costs) amounted to almost €3.6 billion in 2020. This was 4.9 percent of the total turnover. Relatively the highest operating result in 2020 was achieved by the bread and pasta industry where 8.5 eurocents of operating result was earned per euro of turnover. The dairy industry earned the least per euro turnover. Of the various branches in the food industry, the dairy industry had the highest turnover in 2020. This is apparent from figures recently published by the CBS and analysed by our editorial staff.

Turnover food industry almost 73 billion euros

In 2020, total turnover in the food industry (excluding VAT) amounted to €72.9 billion. Of the separately published branches, the dairy industry had by far the largest turnover share (20.5 percent), with EUR 14.9 billion. The slaughterhouses and meat products industry came in second with a turnover of 12.2 billion euros and thus had a turnover share of 16.8 percent. The animal feed industry was in third place with a turnover of EUR 10 billion, giving it a turnover share of 13.8 percent. The fish processing industry had a relatively modest turnover share of 1.3 percent, with a turnover of almost €1 billion. The flour industry also had a low turnover share (3.7 percent) with a turnover of EUR 2.7 billion.

Dairy earns the least on every euro of turnover 

The 14.9 billion turnover generated by the dairy industry in 2020, combined with more than 14.7 billion in operating costs, resulted in an operating profit of 183 million euros. This means that in 2020 only 1.2 eurocents was earned on every euro of turnover. The bread and pasta industry earned the most (8.5 eurocents per euro turnover), followed at a distance by the flour industry (4.9 eurocents) and the slaughterhouses and meat products industry (4.8 eurocents). The fruit and vegetable processing industry earned 3.0 eurocents and the fish processing industry 3.6 eurocents.