Sector raises income, keeps prices under control and strengthens synergy between producers and consumers
The Brazilian food industry ended 2025 reaffirming its strategic role for the country’s economic and social stability. According to the annual balance released by , the sector maintained growth in supply, job creation and revenue, even in the face of a scenario of exchange rate volatility and global tariff pressures.
Despite facing a 5.1% increase in production costs, driven by the rise in agricultural raw materials, packaging, energy and fuel, the sector limited price transfer: while the general IPCA for the period was 4.26%, food rose 2.95%.
This containment was made possible by investments that enabled efficiency gains and, therefore, made it possible to absorb part of the inflationary pressure. This effort is vital for the household budget, as food represents around 25% of the cost of living for Brazilian families, according to IBGE.
“The year 2025 tested the resilience of the food industry, which demonstrated, once again, to be a driving force of stability for Brazilian homes. Even in the face of a more unstable scenario, we seek efficiency and innovation to cushion part of this pressure. Contributing to keeping food inflation below general inflation is not just an economic result, it is the expression of our commitment to food security in Brazil”says the CEO of ABIA, João Dornellas.
Food industry leads job creation
In 2025, the activity maintained its expansion behavior and consolidated itself as the main driver of job creation in the manufacturing industry. The 51,000 new formal hires represented 44.6% of all jobs created in the year, reinforcing the sector’s role in sustaining industrial employment.
In total, the direct workforce reached 2.125 million employees, which represents a growth of 2.4% compared to 2024.
Adding indirect jobs – such as agriculture, packaging, equipment, logistics and transport – the production chain reached 10.6 million jobs, equivalent to 10.3% of the entire workforce employed in the country.
The year also registered relevant social advances: the wage bill paid by the sector grew 9.94%, an increase that exceeded inflation and shows that, in addition to creating jobs at a faster rate than the economy, the food industry contributed to increasing workers’ income and well-being throughout 2025.
“The investments made by the industry are evidence of the sector’s commitment to adding value in the food chain. These resources not only translate into plant modernization and innovation, but into the opening of new job opportunities in all regions. For every professional within our factories, there are four others working across the entire production chain”Dornellas said.
Domestic consumption drives growth
The Brazilian food and beverage industry ended 2025 with revenue of R$1.388 trillion, an increase of 8.02% compared to the previous year, including domestic sales and exports. The sector maintained its economic relevance, accounting for 10.9% of national GDP.
The biggest highlight of the year was the domestic market, which accounted for R$1.02 trillion, with R$732 billion coming from retail and R$287.9 billion from food service, which has been resuming its share, with nominal growth of 8.4% and 10.1%, respectively.
The behavior of domestic demand was decisive in sustaining real sales growth, which increased 2.2%.
The result reflects the gradual recomposition of family consumption, the increase in consumption outside the home and the efficiency gains achieved by companies throughout the year. The industry’s physical production reached 288 million tons, an increase of 1.9%.
In the countryside, the industry maintained its strategic position as the main client of national agriculture, acquiring 62% of all Brazilian agricultural production and 68% of family farming production.
“We are the largest partner in the countryside and this link remained strong in 2025, guaranteeing predictability for rural producers, strengthening their income and expanding the flow capacity of national agricultural production. The good performance of the sector is also a reflection of this integrated work, which benefits producers, industries, workers and consumers”said Dornellas.
Investments and competitiveness with technology
To sustain growth and increase competitiveness, companies in the sector invested R$41.3 billion in 2025, an increase of 6.8% compared to the previous year.
The majority of this amount, R$26.7 billion, was directed to innovation, modernization of industrial plants and adoption of technologies, reinforcing the food industry’s commitment to gaining efficiency and sustainability.
“It is important to remember that, in 2024, we announced an investment of R$120 billion in the period 2023-2026. Until last year, the volume invested reached R$116 billion, that is, we have already fulfilled around 97% of our commitment”said the executive president of Abia.
International growth
Even with tariff challenges and a less dynamic world economy, exports from the Brazilian food and beverage industry grew 0.7% in 2025, reaching US$66.73 billion. The performance confirms the competitiveness of the sector and its ability to maintain a consistent presence in the international market, exporting to more than 190 countries and territories.
Asia remained the main destination, totaling US$27.4 billion and 41.1% of foreign sales, with special emphasis on China, which represented 19% of exports and registered an increase of 28.4% in the year. The Arab League maintained strong relevance, with US$10.3 billion and a 15.4% share, while the Union
Europe was responsible for US$8.7 billion, equivalent to 13% of total exports. The United States imported US$4.9 billion in Brazilian products, with growth of 9.2%, despite the tariff increases applied to the sector.
As a result, the sector achieved a trade balance of US$57.5 billion, responsible for 84.2% of the entire Brazilian trade balance surplus, a direct demonstration of the importance of the food industry for the country’s international insertion.
2026 with sustainable growth
For this year, projections are favorable: real sales should grow by 2% to 2.5%, driven by continued domestic demand and the gradual recovery of the international market.
From a supply point of view, maintaining the 2025-2026 harvest contributes to ensuring the supply of raw materials. On the other hand, the rise in packaging prices continues to be a cost pressure factor.
Job creation should follow this movement, with an expected increase of 1% to 1.5%, maintaining the sector as one of the main drivers of employment in Brazilian industry.
With information from .
