Food and Drink
Food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector in the EU with a turnover of €1.1 trillion, employing 4.6 million people. In half of the EU’s 27 Member States, the food and drink industry is the biggest manufacturing employer. FoodDrinkEurope is the dominant Brussels trade association representing the sector.
The EU food and drink industry is a major driver of growth, employment, and innovation, with significant investments from EU and US companies in both regions. The two-way trade in agri-food raw materials, ingredients, and finished products – valued at €40 billion – underscores the critical importance of this relationship – one that ensures supply chain resilience, supports jobs and rural communities, and meets the diverse consumer needs on both sides of the Atlantic. Hence, Europe’s food and drink industry is very concerned at the prospect of US tariffs on imports from the EU, given the impact it will have on transatlantic trade, businesses, and consumers.
Overall, the sector is comprised mainly of SMEs with relatively few big spending multinational companies – interestingly not one food and drink company is in the top 50 corporate affairs spenders in Brussels!
However, the sector is highly regulated as society and governments have become more aware of the impact of what we eat and drink.
Specialist Consultancies
Specialist Law firms
In the last 10 years, EU food and drink exports have doubled. EU food legislation is highly harmonised and the sector benefits significantly from the opportunities offered by the EU Single Market. At the same time, however, the sector faces certain challenges in both international and European markets. The European Commission is working to improve the competitiveness of the EU food sector and the functioning of the Single Market for Food. It also strives to create new trade opportunities for food and drink products, through various trade negotiations and dialogues with third countries.
European Commission