World demand for food safety products to reach $13.6 billion

World demand for food safety products - including disinfection and diagnostic products, smart labels and tags, and software and tracking systems - is projected to rise 8.1% per year to $13.6 billion in 2014.

Advances will be stimulated by gains in food and beverage processing activity and increasingly strict food safety regulations worldwide, especially following several recent high-profile cases of food contamination.

Some of the best opportunities for food safety products will be found in the Asia-Pacific region, which will account for two-fifths of aggregate market value gains between 2009 and 2014. These and other trends are presented in World Food Safety Products, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

While the US is claimed to be the world’s biggest national user of food safety products (accounting for 23% of total demand in 2009), the most rapid advances will occur in developing regions. Gains in Asia, the Africa/Mideast region, Eastern Europe, and Central and South America will all outpace the global average. Industrialisation trends and increases in living standards will fuel demand for food safety products in these regions. China will continue to see some fast demand growth, due to mounting pressure on the part of consumers, producers and regulators to ensure the safety of the food supply.

Disinfection products will continue to account for the bulk of food safety product demand worldwide. While demand for disinfectants is relatively mature, the rising number of reported foodborne outbreaks and food product recalls will support sales going forward. Food safety diagnostic product demand will be boosted by trends towards the use of rapid diagnostic tests, which are more expensive than their conventional counterparts.

Increases in food safety inspections by government agencies - especially in developed countries and in countries with large, export-oriented food industries, such as China - will also boost demand for diagnostic products as a matter of course. Demand for smart labels and tags, software and tracking systems in food safety applications will see fast advances, albeit from small bases. These products are important in ensuring food product traceability.