Browse Data and Analysis

On March 5, 2025, Colombia's National Institute for the Surveillance of Food and Medicines (INVIMA) confirmed that starch is approved by the Colombian government as an additive for use as a thickener and stabilizer agent in fresh cheese.

The United States remains the top international supplier to Colombia's food ingredients sector.

In 2024, the Dutch food processing industry continued to face challenges due to geopolitical tensions, market uncertainty, and rising raw material costs, all of which are causing price fluctuations.

Between 2018 and 2024, U.S. exports of confectionery products have skyrocketed from $4 million to $28 million and exports of chocolate and cocoa product grown from $16 million to a record high $31 million.

Colombia is the tenth largest producer of cacao globally. In 2023, Colombia produced 59,831 metric tons (MT) of cacao, with a planted area of 190,800 hectares.

Colombia is the top destination for U.S. agricultural products in South America. In 2023, U.S. exports of consumer-oriented agricultural products totaled $759 million, a decrease from 2022 due to the slowdown in economic growth in Colombia and a seven-month (now resolved) ban on U.S. poultry exports.

On July 4, 2024, the Colombian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism (MINCIT) announced the self-initiation of a countervailing duty (CVD) investigation into U.S. milk powder. On September 17, 2024, MINCIT issued a preliminary determination that...

After a 2023 outbreak, and the authorization of three types of vaccines, a new Bluetongue disease outbreak occurred again in the Netherlands in the summer of 2024. The disease is also spreading to neighboring countries Belgium and Germany.

Colombia’s raw milk production has remained steady in the last decade, with an average annual growth rate of 0.8 percent. The sector is still largely informal, with a 47 percent collection rate in 2023 from producers into the formal market.

The turnover of the Dutch retail sector was valued at $54 billion in 2023. The sector is relatively consolidated, with the two largest food retailers controlling almost 60 percent of the market. Due to rising retail prices, consumers visit multiple supermarkets and increasingly choose private label products.

The 2023 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2023 calendar year.

The turnover of the Dutch food processing industry in 2021 (most recent data available) was valued at $99 billion. There are almost 8,500 food processing companies active in the Netherlands and together they account for over 150,000 jobs.