Niedersachsen is Germany’s leading agricultural state, home to a high-performing and innovative food industry, and its agricultural produce is in demand all over the world. The food and nutrition industry, with a turnover of more than 20 billion € and well over 100,000 employees, is the state’s second most important economic sector after automobiles. Niedersachsen’s stalls house more pigs than anywhere else in Germany and every third German egg comes from Niedersachsen, no other federal state grows as many potatoes, and even sugar beet was first grown in the land around Braunschweig before it became popular all over Germany. Many famous food brands from Bahlsen to Wiesenhof are based in Niedersachsen. Internationally successful companies combine their long tradition in the production of high-quality foodstuffs with new production processes and perfected marketing strategies.

As Germany’s number one farming state, Niedersachsen fulfils the best conditions for producing high-quality food products on the basis of integrated value added chains. Potatoes, fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy, cereals and many other basic products are processed in the facilities of the food industry and small craft companies with the greatest care and expertise. The sector is constantly developing to respond to new trends such as functional food, organics and convenience food, both for the price-sensitive German market and to meet competition from global corporations.

In this high-tech business with very high product and process safety requirements the food companies in Niedersachsen are well supported. Specialised research and training institutions, marketing organisations, competence centres and technology sites as well as cooperation models in the entire value chain are Niedersachsen’s instruments for concentrating the know-how which helps to generate a critical competitive advantage for market penetration.