Number of bankruptcies in food industry slowly rises

The number of bankruptcies in the food industry was 10 in the first half of 2022. This is relatively low compared to the pre-corona years. But especially in the second quarter of this year, the number of bankruptcies in the food industry has risen steadily. Also in the total industry the number of bankruptcies is increasing. Of all industries, the food industry had the highest number of bankruptcies in the first half of this year. This follows from an analysis of recent CBS figures by our editors.

Top number of food bankruptcies in 2010

According to the series currently published by Statistics Netherlands, most bankruptcies in the food industry occurred during the financial and economic crisis. With 78 bankruptcies, 2010 was the highest score to date. Followed by 60 and 58 bankruptcies in 2012 and 2013 respectively. During the coronal years 2020 and 2021, the lowest scores were recorded with 20 and 18 bankruptcies, respectively.

Ninety per cent of bankruptcies in food industry in second quarter  

Of the 10 food bankruptcies in the first six months of 2022, 9 were pronounced in the second quarter and only 1 in the first quarter. Most bankruptcies were pronounced in the bread and pasta industry in the first half of the year, with 6. All bankruptcies in this branch occurred in two months: 2 in May and 4 in June. In the slaughterhouse and meat products industry, as well as in the fruit and vegetable processing industry, only 1 bankruptcy was recorded in the first half year. Among others, the fish processing industry, the edible oils and fats industry, the dairy industry, the flour industry and the animal feed industry remained bankruptcy-free in the first half of 2022. In the first half of last year, 9 industrial food companies went bankrupt.

Food industry bankruptcy leader  

In the first half of 2022, 61 companies in the manufacturing industry went bankrupt. More than 60 percent more than in the first half of 2021, when a total of 38 industrial companies went bankrupt. With 10 bankruptcies, the food industry had the largest share in the total number of bankruptcies in the industry in the first six months of this year. Other industrial branches that scored high in terms of number of bankruptcies during this period are machinery (8), metal products (6), furniture (6), companies installing and repairing machinery (6) and electrical appliances (4). The highest number of bankruptcies in total industry was measured in 2012 when a total of 802 companies went bankrupt.