Ernährung

A branch of industry for body and soul

In the same way as food and drink hold body and soul together, so too are nutrition and industry inseparably linked with each other. One of the key tasks of industry is - and always will be - to produce adequate high-quality foods. The companies operating in the Bavarian food industry fulfill this vital function in the truest sense of the word and secure a large number of jobs – also in other industrial sectors. The growing demands imposed on the manufacture of foods generate momentum for innovations in a wide variety of different industries.

Bavarian taste – sought-after the world over

Bavaria’s food industry bears the stamp of a dense network of small and medium-sized industrial and craft enterprises. The excellent international reputation enjoyed by Bavarian foods is founded on a broad basis of raw materials, handed down know-how and a well-qualified labor force. Ultramodern manufacturing processes and innovations, brisk investment and effective systems of origin control and quality assurance ensure that the Bavarian food industry occupies a frontline position.

Bavarian companies account for more than 16 per cent of the total revenue generated by the German food industry – approx. EUR 131 billion in 2004. Each year, goods to a value of about EUR five billion are exported.

The food industry in Bavaria

In Bavaria, Germany’s No. 1 agricultural state, agriculture and the food industry including food-related skilled crafts are the third most important business sector in the manufacturing industries after automotive and mechanical engineering with a turnover of close on EUR 32billion.

With a work force of some 400,000 this sector is also one of the most important employers in Bavaria. One out of every nine jobs in Bavaria is directly or indirectly related to agriculture and the food industry.

Cluster-specific structures have already been developed in the following sectors in particular:

• dairy industry
• meat handling and processing
• hops / beer
• wine-growing
• vegetable processing

Market and partners in the food industry

The Bavarian food industry concentrates on the domestic market, which generates 83.5 per cent of revenues. In the meantime, a very satisfactory development in the industry is the surge in exports to the new EU member states from Eastern and Southeastern Europe. In the first half of 2005, agricultural exports to these countries were on average 34.2 per cent up on the corresponding period of the previous year.

Important features of the cluster structures are a historically developed vertical combination of agricultural raw-material production and processing, an active network of professional representative offices and intensive cooperation with research establishments.

Attractive research environment for the food industry

A large number of highly specialized scientific institutions have distinguished Bavaria as a top location for the food industry. They cooperate closely with the agricultural and food-processing industry:

• Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Freising
• Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture
• Research Institute for Testing Dairy Products Kempten
• Weihenstephan Scientific Center
• Weihenstephan University of Applied Sciences
• University of Bayreuth
• University of Erlangen - Nuremberg
• German Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Food, Kulmbach
• Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, Freising
• Doemens e.V., Gräfelfing (brewing, packaging)
• “German Research Center for Food Chemistry” Foundation, Garching

Well-qualified workforce for the food industry

The system of dual vocational education relies on the close interrelationship of theory and operational practice, thus ensuring – as does interdisciplinary university education – first-rate staff competence in all sectors of the food industry.

Infrastructure for the food industry

Bavaria offers an excellently developed, business-oriented and efficient infrastructure for companies operating in the food industry. This also guarantees fast links with national and international markets.

Support offers

Within the scope of the support schemes designed to promote market structures, companies operating in the food industry and buying raw materials directly from farms can qualify for investment aid (Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Department of Support and Legal Issues, Tel. +49 (0)89/17800-200, AFR@lfl.bayern.de). Downstream food processing companies can obtain information about support instruments from the site of the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology.

Bavarian initiatives

The Bavarian State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has launched a number of initiatives aimed at boosting competitiveness in the Bavarian agricultural and food industry:

• Export initiative in the EU accession states (January 2005)
• Framework concept on origin control and quality assurance (February 2005)
• Data on geographical origins – The Bavarian Initiative (June 2005)

Information material

Further information about Bavaria as a top location for the agricultural and food industry can be obtained under www.landwirtschaft.bayern.de and www.food-from-bavaria.de.