Food Processing Equipment Market Report: Trends, Forecast and Competitive Analysis to 2035

Food Processing Equipment Market

The future of the global food processing equipment market looks promising with opportunities in the food processing plant and restaurant markets. The global food processing equipment market is expected to reach an estimated $131.1 billion by 2035 from $78.1 billion in 2027 with a CAGR of 6.5% from 2027 to 2035. The major drivers for this market are the increasing demand for processed food, the rising adoption of automation technology, and the growing focus on food safety.

• Lucintel forecasts that, within the type category, meat processing machinery is expected to witness the highest growth over the forecast period due to rising meat consumption and automation in meat processing.
• Within the application category, food processing plants is expected to witness higher growth over the forecast period due to increasing demand for meat and growth in global meat processing capacity.
• In terms of regions, APAC is expected to witness the highest growth over the forecast period due to increase in meat processing industry investment and growing demand for meat.

Emerging Trends in Food Processing Equipment Market

During the period of 2025 to 2027, the food processing equipment market will tend to incorporate more connected and energy efficient technologies due to continued employee shortages, increasing safety and regulation, and market demands for flexibility. According to Lucintel, user and vendor focus during this period will be to integrate equipment and systems to improve supply chain visibility, while also reducing equipment and supply chain costs.

• Automation: Continued use of robotics and machine vision to perform food processing will lead to further adoption of system and equipment automation by food and beverage manufacturers. Automation in manufacturing will create opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce labor costs, and protect employees from injury, sickness, and exposure.
• Digital Manufacturing: The use of digital and mechanical systems to improve the availability and transparency of equipment will evolve to include real-time quality control and assessment of manufacturing processes.
• Sustainability: Designing equipment to improve energy and water efficiency will become important to food and beverage equipment vendors.
• Flexible Production: More modular systems and quick changeover tools help meet the challenge of increased demand for a broad range of food products from several markets. Continuous improvement and evolution of food processing systems require rapid format changeover to improve asset utilization. This will reward equipment original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in 2025 and 2026. Improvements in equipment modularity and batch size reductions will help food processors improve productivity and gain a competitive edge.
• Localized Supply Chains: The pandemic and supply chain disruption accelerated food processing industry changes including more localized food processing and increased investment in food processing in the U.S. (an estimated $30 billion in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau). More food processing investments means more opportunity for the sale of food processing equipment.

The food processing equipment industry is transitioning from a period of rapid expansion to a more gradual expansion. New food processing equipment systems are integrated with enabling software and focus on process energy reduction. Equipment systems that span the processing spectrum will allow equipment manufacturers to capture a larger share of the food processing equipment market.

Recent Developments in the Food Processing Equipment Market

Equipment purchases for food processing will increase in the coming years to improve the safety of processed food, increase automation and improve logistics. Hygienic processing and cold chain systems will benefit from improved automation and control. According to Lucintel, food processors will continue to replace outdated equipment, and smaller food processors will make equipment purchases.

• Expanding Production: In March 2025, GEA announced it will build a new technology center in Wisconsin to build larger pilot plants for food and beverage processing. The new facility will allow GEA to build larger, custom processing systems.
• New Processing Line: In June 2025, Tetra Pak introduced an aseptic packaging line to process up to 40,000 packages per hour. With equipment like this, processors will be more likely to replace their equipment with complete processing lines.
• New Alliances: In February 2025, Buhler and DIL announced they would work together to develop equipment to process alternative food sources. The collaboration should allow processors to produce food with varying consistency while using less energy.
• Government Approvals: The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted their first-ever regulatory approvals for cultured poultry meat in June 2025. Anticipating regulatory progress, some companies have made investments in bioreactors and processing equipment to separate and package the cells. However, those costs are offset by potential revenues.
• Significant Order: JBT Marel announced a $100 million order in September 2025 for the automation of poultry processing in Saudi Arabia. Because of the order, and other large projects in the region, JBT Marel has decided to construct a local service and parts facility in Saudi Arabia.

Processors are anxious to modernize their operations by investing in larger equipment. Capital expenditures are likely to remain focused on equipment that improves profitability by replacing and reducing labor and increasing compliance with food safety and other regulations. Positive changes in food safety and other regulations are expected to liberalize markets, particularly for alternative protein sources. Higher costs of capital and project delays are expected to limit market entries by new competitors.

Strategic Growth Opportunities in the Food Processing Equipment Market

From 2024 to 2026, Food Processors will replace antiquated lines of equipment, and find ways to adjust to employee less, safe, and efficient ways to process food, as well as ways to improve the equipment to process food quickly and conveniently for the end user. Equipment will focus on continuous improvements in yield and traceability. Lucintel believes that opportunity lies with companies able to integrate equipment and software, and provide a service to their customers.

• Integrated Automation: There is a strong emphasis on reducing the human workforce, and improving product consistency and quality. The automation of equipment to perform inspections and handle products will continue to gain traction in the food processing industry. The recent merger of JBT and Marel creates a company with approximately 1.7 billion euros in revenue. Processors will seek to integrate automation equipment to improve throughput of their processing facilities.
• Energy and Processing: Continuous ways to reduce the consumption of processing resources (water and energy) will be key in improving equipment processing times, and reducing the costs of operating food processing facilities. In February 2025, the EC reported that Industrial energy prices were more than double the levels in 2021.
• Alternative-protein Equipment: Fermentation, plant-based processing and hybrid products each use unique mixing, separating, extruding and filling machinery. The Good Food Institute recorded more than $1 billion in global alternative protein investment in 2024 (reported Jan 2025). Vendors providing scalable pilot to commercial systems will serve food companies in the next 5 years while alternative protein concepts are tested.
• Traceability-ready Lines: Equipment linked to batch records and/or compliance software and equipped to generate data will increase in price over non-integrated equipment. The EU's Digital Product Passport (2024) legislation will require manufacturers to provide product data and covers 16 product categories. There will be growing demand as manufacturers must provide auditable data to their customers across the supply chain.
• Service-based Revenue: Equipment Diagnostics, performance contracts and planned spare part kits will increase post sale revenue. In April 2025, JBT Marel, announced the closing of their merger and noted operations in over 30 countries. With the focus on equipment life cycle management, post sale service and support will increase.

Suppliers will be rewarded for engineering integrations and after sale service over the next 5 years. There will be a high demand for automated and modular equipment, energy efficient equipment and systems as well as equipment that verifies hygiene. Manufacturers will replace outdated equipment to meet traceability and other regulatory compliance as well as address the labor shortage.

To meet stringent regulatory demands like the EU's Digital Product Passport and navigate ongoing labor shortages, manufacturers are increasingly investing in traceable, energy-efficient, and automated equipment. By prioritizing integrated systems with compliance software and expanding post-sale service-based revenue streams-such as equipment diagnostics and performance contracts-suppliers can secure high demand and long-term partnerships over the next five years.

Food Processing Equipment Market Drivers and Challenges

Food processing equipment is expected to witness significant demand during the forecast period on account of changing consumer preferences coupled with advancing technologies and regulations.

The factors responsible for driving this market include:

• Rising Focus on Automation and Digitalization: Continuous efforts are being made by food processing companies to improve equipment performance, replace manual labor and upgrade technologies used in food processing. Accelerated adoption of automation and digital technologies by food processing companies led to a significant surge in the installations of industrial robots during 2023, as noted by the International Federation of Robotics. It is expected that during the next three to five years, food and beverage processing equipment will primarily focus on digital processing, real-time monitoring, and elevated throughput.
• Demand for Processed Food is Increasing: There are many reasons for this. People are moving to cities. Many people in families work and don't have time to cook. Many people prefer eating food that is ready to be eaten. In 2025 the United Nations reported 57% of all people lived in cities. Most people live in cities in developed countries. Because of all of this, companies will buy new food processing machines. These machines will need to be able to quickly change the food they process. This is because a lot of different food is made with the same machine.
• There Are New Food Safety Regulations: To meet these new regulations food processing companies will need to buy new food safety machines. In 2025 the European Union passed new food safety and packaging regulations. This will cause food processing companies to need to spend money on new food safety and packaging machinery. New machinery will help processors meet new food safety standards and reduce the number of food recalls.
• There Are New Regulations About The Environment: Food processing companies are buying machines that help processors meet these new standards. Machines are being made to help processors meet new environmental standards. Over the next few years there will be new machinery to help processors meet these new standards.
• Manufacturing Flexibility and The Ability To Produce Diverse Product Types: Plant-based foods, "functional" or fortified/supplemented beverages and foods, and other "alternative" or "next generation" proteins and protein products are among the foods and beverages manufacturers are rapidly producing and bringing to the marketplace. The investment in alternative proteins broke $1 billion in 2024. Customers are becoming more interested in individualized or personalized nutrition, and higher-end or "premium" foods. As reported by the Good Food Institute, manufacturers are establishing systems that will allow them to produce multiple products on flexible equipment. The continued growth in the use of flexible manufacturing systems to produce a variety of foods will be a market trend for the next three to five years.

The challenges facing this market include:

• High Capital and Operating Costs: Automated and flexible food-processing systems remain beyond the reach of many small- and medium-sized food processors due to their high costs. As reported by the World Bank, the global economy is expected to gain momentum in 2025, with higher levels of economic activity. In such an environment, large purchases of equipment by food processors is unlikely. During the next three to five years, the unstable economy will increase uncertainty regarding the demand for food products and extend the time it will take for food processors to recover their investments, thereby discouraging food-processing equipment updates.
• Lack of Qualified Personnel: The advances in automation and related technologies to improve food-processing systems create a reliance on qualified personnel to integrate, operate, and maintain the systems. During the next three to five years, the inability to identify and integrate the needed technologies will increase the time and expense associated with food-processing systems.
• Supply-chain Risks: Supply-chain risks include raw material price fluctuations and variation in international business regulations. The World Trade Organization (WTO) anticipated a 3.0% increase in global trade for 2025. Continued exposure to international trade creates risk for manufacturers and processors. Additional risks for processors include variability in acceptance criteria for equipment, and disruption from component shortages, customs, and cybersecurity during the next 5 years. These will increase the total cost of ownership for processing equipment.

Various trends, including automation, and the consumption of more convenient and prepared foods, create a need for change and improvement in food processing equipment. Further, changing regulations increase the need for more flexible and resource-efficient equipment. The above trends increase the demand for automation and integration of various equipment systems. Cyclical and unreliable supply of raw materials, and exposure to rapidly changing customer needs and regulations, increase the risk for food processors, especially small and medium sized processors, to fall behind larger processors. Overall, the food processing equipment and systems market will experience increasing demand and focusing on profitable-Eren early cyclical market position will be critical for success.

List of Food Processing Equipment Market Companies

Companies in the market compete on the basis of product quality offered. Major players in this market focus on expanding their manufacturing facilities, R&D investments, infrastructural development, and leverage integration opportunities across the value chain. Through these strategies food processing equipment market companies cater increasing demand, ensure competitive effectiveness, develop innovative products & technologies, reduce production costs, and expand their customer base. Some of the food processing equipment market companies profiled in this report include-

• GEA Group
• Buhler
• JBT
• Ali Group
• Marel
• Satake Corporation
• Heat and Control
• Baader Group
• Rheon
• Haarslev Industries

Food Processing Equipment Market by Segment

The study includes a forecast for the global food processing equipment market by type, application, and region.

Food Processing Equipment Market by Type [Value ($B) from 2019 to 2035]:

• Frozen Food Processing Machinery
• Bread & Pasta Processing Machinery
• Meat Processing Machinery
• Others

Food Processing Equipment Market by Application [Value ($B) from 2019 to 2035]:

• Food Processing Plants
• Restaurants
• Others

Food Processing Equipment Market by Region [Value ($B) from 2019 to 2035]:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• The Rest of the World

Country Wise Outlook for the Food Processing Equipment Market

Food processing technology will become more automated and use less energy over the next several years. Meanwhile, new food manufacturing plants will be constructed in numerous locations and collaboration between food processing firms and universities will become common. During this same time period, many nations will direct their food processing industry spending to modernize and improve food security. This is according to research done by Lucintel.

• United States: The U.S. government will subsidize domestic food manufacturing during the next few years, and an increasing number of food manufacturing companies will build fully automated food processing and packaging plants. The U.S.D.A. awarded over $20 million in grants to food manufacturing companies that process meat and poultry in January 2025. This will also increase the demand for automate food processing and packaging equipment.
• China: The Chinese government also funds food manufacturing companies to modernize their equipment, and food manufacturing companies partner to build fully automated food processing facilities. In April 2025, JBT Marel completed its acquisition of Marel, and will be able to fully integrate food processing systems and equipment to food manufacturing companies in China.
• Germany: Germany will also modernize food processing and other manufacturing facilities. In February 2025, Krones announced it expects to have a large number of modern food processing systems to install in the coming years. Because of Germany's focus on automated production systems, it is also likely that food processing equipment produced in Germany will be fully automated.
• India: Increasing public and private investments in food processing are creating opportunities for multinationals to establish operations in the country. In May 2022, PepsiCo announced a ₹1,266 crore investment for a food processing and manufacturing plant in Assam. The plant should create a greater need for automated systems for processing and packaging. Further, it should facilitate further localization of the food processing industry in Assam and beyond.
• Japan: To overcome the challenges of a shrinking and aging workforce, the food-processing sector is increasing automation and deployment of food-handling robots. FANUC, Inc.'s launch of the CRX-10iA/L food-handling robot in 2025 further catalyzed adoption of food-handling robots. Adoption of food-handling robots would be observed in a broader scope in the food- and beverage-processing sectors as well as bakeries and contract food-processing services in the next 3-5 years.

Features of the Global Food Processing Equipment Market

• Market Size Estimates: food processing equipment market size estimation in terms of value ($B).
• Trend and Forecast Analysis: Market trends (2019 to 2026) and forecast (2027 to 2035) by various segments and regions.
• Segmentation Analysis: food processing equipment market size by type, application, and region in terms of value ($B).
• Regional Analysis: food processing equipment market breakdown by North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World.
• Growth Opportunities: Analysis of growth opportunities in different types, applications, and regions for the food processing equipment market.
• Strategic Analysis: This includes M&A, new product development, and competitive landscape of the food processing equipment market.

Analysis of competitive intensity of the industry based on Porter's Five Forces model.

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This report answers following 11 key questions:

• Q.1. What are some of the most promising, high-growth opportunities for the food processing equipment market by type (frozen food processing machinery, bread & pasta processing machinery, meat processing machinery, and others), application (food processing plants, restaurants, and others), and region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World)?
• Q.2. Which segments will grow at a faster pace and why?
• Q.3. Which region will grow at a faster pace and why?
• Q.4. What are the key factors affecting market dynamics? What are the key challenges and business risks in this market?
• Q.5. What are the business risks and competitive threats in this market?
• Q.6. What are the emerging trends in this market and the reasons behind them?
• Q.7. What are some of the changing demands of customers in the market?
• Q.8. What are the new developments in the market? Which companies are leading these developments?
• Q.9. Who are the major players in this market? What strategic initiatives are key players pursuing for business growth?
• Q.10. What are some of the competing products in this market and how big of a threat do they pose for loss of market share by material or product substitution?
• Q.11. What M&A activity has occurred in the last 7 years and what has its impact been on the industry?