Insee Première · January 2022 · n° 1886

The internationalisation of the French food processing industries: more and more established outside Europe

As an essential activity, the food-processing industry proved to be resilient during the Covid-crisis. With an estimated output of 140 billion euros in 2020, these industries experienced a six times lower shock than the manufacturing industry as a whole. Before the Covid-crisis, France was the second processed-food European producer behind Germany, but ahead of Italy and Spain. However its part in European production is receding. In the same way, its trade balance has steadily deteriorated and is now broadly in deficit.

More than half of this production is carried out by multinational groups. Mostly established in Europe, these groups have pursued their international development outside Europe. From their French subsidiaries, they export massively and bring a positive and significant contribution to the trade balance. Recently this contribution has revealed itself more mitigated.