Food industry

Factory workers making butter and cheese

A food box packing center during the COVID-19 pandemic

The food industry is a global network of businesses that create most of the food eaten by the world's population. The food industry today are range from small, traditional, family-run activities to large, capital-intensive and highly mechanized industrial processes.

Many food industries also lead into local agriculture, animal farms, produce, and/or fishing.

The food industry includes:

• Agriculture: raising crops, livestock, and seafood. Agricultural economics.
• Manufacturing: agrichemicals, agricultural construction, farm machinery and supplies, seed, etc.
• Food processing: getting fresh products for market ready, and create food products
• Marketing: promotion of products, new products, advertising, marketing campaigns, packaging, public relations, etc.
• Wholesale and food distribution: logistics, transportation, warehousing
• Foodservice (which includes catering)
• Grocery, farmers' markets, public markets and other retailing
• Regulation: local, regional, national, and international rules and regulations for food production and sale, including food quality, food security, food safety, marketing/advertising, and industry lobbying activities
• Education: academic, consultancy, vocational
• Research and development: food science, food microbiology, food technology, food chemistry, and food engineering
• Financial services: credit, insurance

Other websites

• "The Food Industry Center". University of Minnesota.