Austria, a Central European country famous for its Alpine scenery, is also a state with a very stable economy, political scene and a global top 20 GDP per capita, making it attractive not only for tourists but also for food exporters looking for new markets.
The large majority of Austria’s food imports are coming from EU countries, mainly Germany, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands or the Czech Republic. Other regions include Latin America, Central Asia and the US.

Organic and Vegetarian
The country’s more than 8.5 million people are accustomed to high quality products and are some of the most organic and bio oriented consumers in the EU. The market share for organic food products is close to 8%, similar to that in countries like Denmark or Switzerland.
A large number of Austrians are also adopting vegetarian diets (close to 10%). This explains the constant increase of imports of various nuts, jams, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and juices.

Meat and seafood
Meat and edible offal are among the top Austrian food imports. Quality is extremely important and exporters offering speciality meats could find opportunities.
Seafood imports showed a dramatic increase (almost 75%) in the last decade, but have stabilised in the recent years. The increase was mostly fuelled by restaurants and hotels who had to adapt to the demand of tourists accustomed to seafood dishes. Austrians have also added more fish in their diet and supermarkets offer a wider variety of products, the vast majority of them being imported.

Producers looking to export to Austria, especially those outside the EU should be prepared to face serious competition, especially from German companies. They must also make sure that their products follow the complex set of Austrian and EU regulations regarding food imports.

The marketing and sales strategies should focus on addressing the quite high risk aversion that most Austrian food importers showcase. This means making sure that they focus on the strengths and exceptional quality of their products, on the previous results on other markets and that they have plans for any potential problems. The company’s reputation should also be well established.

Finding food importers in Austria can be accomplished by accessing the BestFoodImporters databases.