IMPORT MARKETS 2026
A 2026 study published on arXiv, an open-access platform for scientific papers, examines global food trade networks and shows that growing connections between countries do not automatically reduce risk. In some cases, they shift vulnerabilities. Some markets become more resilient by diversifying suppliers, while others remain exposed to a handful of key origins, strategic products or price shocks.
This analysis is valuable for exporters because it moves the discussion beyond a simplistic view of trade dependence. An importing country is not just a deficit market. It is also a market where buyers are looking to secure supply, diversify sourcing and find products that complement local production. Dependence on imports does not replace national food cultures or domestic agriculture. It works alongside them, giving distributors, manufacturers and consumers more flexibility when demand exceeds local production capacity, or when certain categories require ingredients, processes, quality standards or formats that the domestic market cannot yet supply at scale.
The Food Security Portal, facilitated by IFPRI, the International Food Policy Research Institute, adds an operational layer to this analysis. IFPRI is an international research institute founded in 1975, specialising in food policy, food security and poverty reduction. Its portal brings together data and monitoring tools on food security, prices, markets, export restrictions and vulnerability to global shocks. For companies, these indicators are not only a way to measure risk. They can also help identify markets where trade openness becomes a strategic opportunity, because buyers need more reliable suppliers, alternative routes and offers suited to long-term supply tensions.
Global trend: trade openness as a structural response
Food trade openness is being shaped by three main forces. The first is demographic, with urbanisation concentrating demand around practical, consistent formats available throughout the year. The second is industrial, as processing chains require ingredients, intermediate food products and ready-to-use solutions. The third is digital, with distribution platforms, retail data and B2B channels accelerating the movement of offers across markets.
The global ready-meals market reflects this trend. According to Statista, it is expected to exceed 450 billion dollars by 2027, around €417 billion, driven by demand for convenience and reliability. This growth is not limited to mature economies. It points to a broader need for finished products, adapted recipes, controlled portions and innovations that can fit into existing food habits.
The United Kingdom’s trade imbalance creates a particularly attractive market for exporters, as domestic demand remains high while supply relies heavily on imports. Figures from DEFRA show that UK imports of food, feed and drink reached £67.8 billion in 2025, around €80 billion, up 6% on 2024. This dynamic creates space for European and international companies, especially in high-value products, natural offers, premium specialities and health-focused categories.
These global trade flows should not be seen as a simple form of passive dependence. They reveal market trade-offs around availability, price, quality, trust, innovation and delivery capacity. For an exhibitor, the question is not only where to export, but where an offer can reduce a weakness or create new value.
Regional focus: the pillars of trade dependence
In Europe and around the Mediterranean, market profiles vary considerably. Algeria combines a high share of household spending on food with a recent increase in food product imports. The FAO estimates that food accounts for 43% of Algerian household expenditure, while the World Bank notes an 8.8% increase in the value of food imports in 2024.
Morocco recorded 690 billion dirhams in imports in 2024, around €63 billion, according to international trade data available via Trading Economics. This level confirms the country’s role as a purchasing, processing and redistribution platform in North Africa.
In Hungary, imported products have historically represented around 25% to 30% of the food supply, with demand driven by meat, confectionery and certain raw materials, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Slovakia follows a similar logic in imported premium segments, where differentiation through origin, processing methods and naturalness remains decisive.
Serbia occupies a different position. It is not only a market to be targeted, but also a specialised supplier. The country remains one of the world’s leading producers of plums and raspberries, with a strong reputation in processed, frozen and dried fruit.
Turkey, meanwhile, acts as a crossroads. Its agri-food industry counted nearly 58,000 food and beverage manufacturers in 2024, while grocery sales reached $95 billion. For exporters, its distribution networks provide a route towards the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe.
Asia-Pacific: mature and attractive markets
Asia-Pacific includes some of the most demanding export markets. In South Korea, the food self-sufficiency rate stood at 38% in calorie terms and 58% in production value, according to Korean agricultural statistics cited by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. The country imports more than $45 billion in agricultural and related products, while free trade agreements make it easier for international offers to access the market. Provisionally applied from 1 July 2011, the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement progressively eliminated customs duties on nearly 98.7% of products, including agricultural and fisheries products, strengthening the South Korean market’s openness to European offers.
In Japan, the depreciation of the yen and inflation are reshaping protein purchasing. The weak yen is reinforcing substitution between meats, with more resilient demand for chicken and beef imports constrained by price. For suppliers, this requires a fine reading of value: price, supply security, consistency of cuts, ease of use and adaptation to foodservice formats.
Taiwan offers another profile. With 23.4 million inhabitants and GDP per capita above $34,000, the island has high purchasing power and a strong appetite for gourmet products, premium foods, distinctive ingredients and trusted foreign brands. Naturalness is becoming a selling point, but it must be supported by traceability, sensory quality and clear processing standards.
Americas and the Middle East: premiumisation strategies
In Mexico, ingredient transparency is becoming essential to win the confidence of affluent consumers buying imported products. In Brazil, premiumisation continues to advance despite heavy taxation. Mordor Intelligence estimates that the Brazilian luxury market will reach $5.63 billion in 2026, supported by a base of 16 million affluent consumers. For agri-food, this fuels demand for gourmet products, food gifts, fine groceries, sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks and natural offers with a strong identity.
Israel illustrates the security dimension of trade dependence more directly. The country has a significant deficit in agricultural and food products, importing large volumes of feed grains, sugar, rice, milling wheat and consumer-oriented products. In 2025, the Israeli authorities also launched a risk-monitoring system for food imports as part of the national Food Security 2050 plan. Here, trade openness is both a resilience tool and a driver of choice.
This dynamic also extends to health and wellbeing categories. Consumers are looking for natural products, shorter ingredient lists and clear benefits, while players linked to specialised nutrition, including the Synadiet ecosystem, highlight the importance of a credible framework around health claims. For exporters, trust is becoming as strategic as price.
FAQ: understanding the levers of global export
Why should businesses target countries with high trade dependence?
Because these markets often need finished, semi-processed or specialised products that are immediately available. South Korea, Algeria, Israel and the United Kingdom show how agri-food imports respond to structural needs: urban consumption, agricultural constraints, inflation, shortages of certain raw materials or demand for premium products.
What is the impact of internationalisation?
It turns a product into a market solution. A supplier able to use Turkey as a regional relay, Taiwan as a premium showcase or the United Kingdom as a volume market can gain access to new professional networks and broader distribution channels.
Why does this trend create opportunities for exhibitors?
Because imbalances do not only mean deficits. They reveal where distributors are looking for alternatives, where consumers want more choice and where companies need reliable partners. Exhibitors able to combine quality, compliance, innovation, origin storytelling and solid logistics can turn global trade flows into sustainable commercial growth.
From this perspective, SIAL Paris stands as a concrete observatory of the tensions and openings shaping food trade. The 2026 edition will allow professionals to read export markets not as a fixed map, but as a set of moving needs, shaped by supply security, product innovation and new routes to growth. For further insight, SIAL Paris’ analyses on commercialisation 2026 and new export markets for French agri-food in 2026 extend this strategic reading.
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