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Regional products vs. imported goods – Why food is imported

Our agriculture contributes to a large extent to our food supply security. However, many agricultural commodities are currently imported into the Austrian retail and food service sectors – from meat and fish to nuts, fruit and vegetables. The reason for this is usually that there are too few goods domestically or they are not available at all.

Agricultural commodities - it's not just the price that matters

Agricultural commodities are raw materials from agricultural production, such as grain, vegetables, fruit, milk, eggs or meat. These are mainly used for the production of foodstuffs, but also luxury foods. Many factors play an important role for the food industry when it comes to purchasing agricultural commodities: quantity, quality, price, logistics and timing are particularly crucial. International networking is also playing an increasingly important role.

Vegetables lie in boxes on supermarket shelves

Why many agricultural commodities are currently being imported

In many European countries, the food industry is the largest consumer of locally produced agricultural raw materials. However, the example of Austria also shows that 100% self-sufficiency in high-quality agricultural raw materials is only really possible for a few products. According to the food industry, these products currently include pork, beef, cow’s milk and sugar.

In order to guarantee the supply of food to the Austrian population, many agricultural goods have to be sourced from international markets. This not only includes raw materials that cannot grow in Austria anyway, such as cocoa, coffee, spices or tropical fruits, but also a lack of domestic agricultural goods. These primarily include grain, eggs, meat, butter, potatoes, fruit and vegetables.

A roller for soil compaction in the field

According to a recent article by Der Standard and the “Österreich isst informiert” platform, the reasons for increasing food imports are as varied as the food itself: On the one hand, more and more soil is being sealed in Austria and soil compaction by heavy machinery is increasing. As a result, there is less and less arable land available for growing food. On the other hand, drought, storms and late frosts are repeatedly causing crop failures. Agricultural products from abroad are also important for the food industry in order to remain internationally competitive. The growing proportion of private labels in the retail sector, which is leading to Austrian producers being squeezed out, is also increasingly promoting imports. The growing world population and the associated demand for food also play a role in terms of imports and exports on a global level.

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