More establishments than closures in food industry

In the first three months of 2023, more companies were created than dissolved in the food industry. The bread and pasta industry saw the most changes in the first quarter. Branches in the food industry without significant numbers of start-ups and closures in the first quarter were the fish processing industry, the edible oils and fats industry, the flour industry and the animal feed industry. This is according to an analysis of recent CBS figures by our editors.

Bread and pasta industry

More than half of the start-ups and closures took place in the bread and pasta industry. Of the total 175 new companies in the food industry in the first quarter, 60 per cent (105 new start-ups) came from this sector. At the same time, most business closures also took place in the bread and pasta industry during the same period. Of the total 115 companies that permanently closed their doors in the food industry in the first quarter, 57 per cent (65 companies) belonged to this sector. At some distance, slaughterhouses and the meat products industry took second place, with 20 newly established and 10 dissolved companies respectively in the first quarter of this year.

Most start-ups in corona years

Interestingly, most start-ups in the food industry took place during the corona years 2020, 2021 and 2022. In fact, in 2021, the number of newly established companies reached an all-time high with a whopping 1125 companies. This was followed by 835 new companies in 2022 and 725 in 2020. During the financial and economic crisis in 2009, the number of newly established companies in the food industry dropped to just 275.

In terms of company closures, the highest number took place in 2022, when a total of as many as 540 companies ceased operations. This was followed by 2020 and 2019, with 440 and 410 business closures, respectively. The years with the smallest number of closures were 2007 and 2010, both with 250 businesses closed.