Food sector – Strong with regional brands

Brandenburg’s food sector is as diverse as the state itself. This cluster includes a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as large nationally and internationally renowned companies. With around 3,400 companies and 57,300 employees along the entire value chain – from agriculture, the food and beverage industry, logistics and trade – the food sector is one of the most important economic sectors. Its presence throughout the state of Brandenburg makes it a constant fixture.

The 180 largest companies in the food and beverage industry and their 13,580 employees generate sales in excess of 3.7 billion euros.

At 20%, slaughtering and meat processing account for the largest share*.

*) Key figures, 2017; businesses with over twenty employees; industries No. 10 (food and animal feed production) and No. 11 (beverage production) according to the 2008 industry classification.
Source: Statistisches Landesamt Berlin Brandenburg

Strong brands call Brandenburg home. Cucumbers from the Spreewald, sausages from Eberswalde, and ketchup from Werder are firmly anchored in the German food retail range. Brandenburg products such as Neuzelle Schwarzbier, Brandenburg mineral waters, Lusatian chocolate, Spreewald linseed oil, Neuruppin stews and Beelitz asparagus are traditional brands that ensure the capital region is known for its culinary delights far beyond its borders.

Chefs Culinar is one of the largest service partners for the catering and hotel industry as well as staff catering companies. The company has decided to build a new site in Ludwigsfelde on the outskirts of Berlin: “We place great emphasis on short distances and regionality”, explained Managing Director Dirk Lütje in May 2017. The new site will make it possible to integrate regional producers, predominantly in the meat, fish and fruit and vegetables segments, better and more extensively than before.

The regionality trend has led to the significant improvement of market opportunities for the providers of specialities and fresh products from Brandenburg in recent years. These manufacturers make a significant contribution to the positive culinary image of Brandenburg and create remarkable added value with their offering. The market for organic products is also receptive and offers the corresponding companies good growth opportunities. Brandenburg leads the nation with more than 11% of its land farmed organically.

In order to strengthen the competitiveness of often small and medium-sized enterprises – most of the companies have less than 50 employees – the food sector is particularly geared toward networking between business and research organisations. The capital region has a unique density of research institutions in nutrition-related areas. Numerous small and medium-sized companies utilise this potential and promote research and development.

Association for the Promotion of Organic Farming Berlin-Brandenburg
The Association for the Promotion of Organic Farming Berlin-Brandenburg is a non-profit association that promotes the demand for organic produce by providing consumer information and through PR activities.

Marktgenuss Brandenburg
Marktgenuss is a cooperation network that has the goal of establishing a one-stop portal for marketing products from rural Brandenburg, the region around capital city Berlin.

pro agro e.V. Association for the Development of Rural Spaces
pro agro e.V. represents the interests of enterprises in rural areas, which deal with the production and marketing of foodstuff and tourism services. The association has set itself the objective to ensure the competitiveness and market access of its members, to organise regional marketing by promoting regional cooperation between companies of the agricultural and food industry and to support direct marketers, providers of tourism services, the restaurant industry and other enterprises.

Trade Association of the Food Industry in Berlin and Brandenburg
The Trade Association of the Food Industry in Berlin and Brandenburg (WVEB) represents the interests of one of the largest industries in the region.
It represents its members' interests in the following fields:

• Economic and structural policy
• Job market and education policy
• Social policy

And it offers its members:

• Information on funding programmes
• Legal advice and help in personnel issues
• Support in PR activities

The technology transfer agencies at the region’s universities offer direct access to the latest R&D results. The WFBB registers the companies’ need for innovation and offers optimum support in the development of innovative ideas: from arranging contacts with relevant experts and applying for funding to the administrative management of your project, thus providing highly efficient and demand-oriented technology transfer services.

Please visit Innovative Brandenburg for more information.

Universities

University of Potsdam
Main areas of teaching and research: biochemistry of nutrition, nutritional toxicology, food chemistry, physiology and pathophysiology of Nutrition

Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
Main areas of teaching and research: politics and markets in agriculture and agro-industrial sector, marketing management, business management, regional management, process management and organic farming Technology

European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
Main areas of teaching and research: Agricultural and food industry law, in particular from the perspective of integrated value chains - legal bases, legal problems and legal development (constitutional law, European law - implementation in Germany) with elements including agricultural production (conventional and organic), food processing/food trade (Food Labelling Law) - Food Information Regulation, health claims, food safety, beverage rights etc. as well as legal energy and environmental issues), preparation of studies, expert opinions and expert`s reports.

TU Berlin – Institute of Food Technology and Food Chemistry
Main areas of teaching and research: food biotechnology and process engineering, food chemistry and analysis, food chemistry and toxicology, food engineering and material sciences, food rheology, food process engineering, technology of protein-rich foodstuffs

Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin - Dept. of Food Science and Technology
Main areas of teaching and research: packaging technology, food Technology

Humboldt University (HU) Berlin - Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences
Main areas of teaching and research: agricultural economics, crop and animal sciences

Freie Universität (FU) Berlin – Department of Veterinary Medicine
Main areas of teaching and research: animal nutrition, food hygiene, meat hygiene and technology, microbiology and animal diseases, animal welfare and animal behaviour

Non-university R&D Institutes

German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE)
Main areas of research: biochemistry of micronutrients, molecular epidemiology, nutritional toxicology, gastrointestinal microbiology, clinical nutrition, molecular genetics, pharmacology, physiology of energy metabolism

Institut für Getreideverarbeitung GmbH (IGV)
Focus on: test laboratory and analysis, bakery technology, renewable raw materials, biotechnology, food technology

Institute for Food and Environmental Research (ILU)
Focus on: process research on methods of food/feed production, exploration of functional food ingredients, food safety, environmental research with phototropic microorganisms, development of biogenic materials for non-food applications, development of natural feeds

Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)
Department of Postharvest Technology
Focus on: the analysis, development and optimisation of processes for the storage, conservation and processing of animal feeds, foods and raw materials for various industrial applications, especially energy production

Dairy Industry Training and Research Institute Oranienburg
Department of Analysis
Focus on: detection and identification of pathogens and spoilage agents, sanitary checks, analysis of drinking water, cleaning agent and disinfectant testing, detection of genetic modifications in foodstuff and feedstuffs, sensory checks, profile analyses of products

Institute for Agrarian and Urban Ecological Projects (IASP)
Department of Food Technology
Focus on: the development of new foodstuff and production methods, product and process quality assurance in the food chain, application of cellular materials in food and non-food applications, development of new fertilizers, improvement of animal health

Testing and Teaching Institute for Brewing in Berlin (VLB)
Main focus: application-orientated research and development across the entire value creation chain in the brewing industry, laboratory Services

Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops Großbeeren (IGZ)
Selection main areas of research: Horticultural practice and modern production, quality in the food supply chain, sustainability of farming systems