Belgian food industry among most successful in Europe
In terms of innovation in production processes, Belgium’s food sector outperforms its European neighbours by far
‘A great many creative people’
That compares favourably with the performance of the industry in neighbouring countries: 17% in Germany, 26% in France and 33% in the Netherlands. Belgium also scores highly on marketing innovation, with 46% of companies reporting some innovation, compared to 40% in France, 39% in Germany and 35% in the Netherlands.
That achievement is not being translated into new products, however, with the Dutch leading that pack, scoring 35% to Belgium’s 31%. France and Germany (22% and 21%) fall far behind those figures.
“Despite a high level of innovation, Belgian food producers don’t do so well in getting major commercial success out of their innovations,” the report states. “Product innovation – for example in reformulating recipes – is nevertheless crucial to the achievement of the pledges made by [federal health minister Maggie] De Block on energy reduction.”
The federation is confident that initiatives like Flanders’ Food – a government-funded programme that supports innovation and competitiveness in the industry – could represent a turning point. “What is clear is that we have a great many creative people in our sector, and we’re able to use that creativity when we need it,” the report concluded.
Photo: Ingimage
