With over 13,500 food processors, the French food processing sector is valued at $196 billion. Progress in food technology, marketing innovations, and exports of finished food products have all contributed to France’s increasing demand for food ingredients. Key market drivers include an increasing interest in healthy and functional foods, an aging population, and health conscious consumers that have pushed innovation in product personalization and product convenience. The major imported ingredients for processing are meat products, fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables based products, beverages, wine and alcohols, milk and dairy products, and cereal based products. Food ingredients, in general, are imported freely by the private sector into France, but some face phytosanitary and other food safety restrictions at the EU level.
