With an annual turnover of over €5 billion and around 15,500 employees in some 270 companies, the food industry is second most-important sector in the Schleswig-Holstein economy. The hundred or so companies with 50 or more employees generated a total turnover of over €4.3 billion alone. Exports rose by nearly 20% in 2007 and there has been a significant increase in the demand for products from Schleswig-Holstein in the euro zone. Exports of dairy produce and confectionery are doing particularly well. With an 18% share of Schleswig-Holstein’s total net value the food industry is well above the average figure of 13% for Germany as a whole.

WTSH offers the industry a platform of its own, the Competence Network Food. As the ideal partner for companies wanting to expand their business and increase sales, the Competence Network Food promotes the innovativeness, internationalisation and competitiveness of Schleswig-Holstein’s food industry.