The output of the Belgian food industry was the lowest it has been since 2017. The battle for the lowest purchase price is one of the causes: “Supermarket chains are increasingly sourcing abroad.”
Profitability under pressure
The picture is not completely bad: the Belgian food industry’s turnover rose 2.5 % last year to 82.9 billion euros. The sector also created 400 jobs – a remarkable achievement in a year when the rest of the manufacturing industry lost 10,000 jobs. Exports grew 1.6 % to 39.6 billion euro, almost half of the sector’s turnover. Investment went 1.4 % higher, to 2.1 billion euros. There are still 3,979 food companies in Belgium, which is a decrease of 2.3 %.
