Located in the heart of Europe Hungary has a resilient, stable economy, consolidated since becoming a member of the EU, over 15 years ago. The country reported the second fastest economic growth in the EU in 2019, making it an attractive and safe bet for food producers looking to export food products. The food importers and distributors in Hungary are mainly looking for meat products, fruits and vegetables, dairy products and eggs, confectionary products and animal feed.
Hungary plays a far larger role in the European political economy than its relatively small population of 9.77 million would make it look. Hungary’s foreign trade structure is stable and more than 92% of agricultural imports come from EU member states. Non-EU trading partners include neighboring countries, Turkey, China, Japan, and the United States.
Hungary is a country that exports, more than it imports, thus, the trade balance is a positive one. However, in recent years, the value of imports increased with approx. 4,5%.. Agricultural products were responsible for 6% of total imports.
Meat
In 2019 Hungary imported US$716million worth of meat and edible meat offal, an increase of almost 11%, compared to the previous year. The main suppliers come from inside EU: Germany, Poland, Austria, Spain and Slovakia. Pork is the most demanded, followed by beef and poultry.
Dairy Products, Eggs & Confectionery/Bakery Products
Dairy products and eggs represent 9,9% of the total food imports. Hungary is a top importer of these products, the value reaching US$519.49 million in 2019. The main suppliers are Germany, followed by Poland and Belgium.
When it comes to confectionery products, the latest trends and consumption patters are quickly adopted by Hungarians, especially by the younger population. Despite a push for healthy living and healthy foods, even trying to ban sugar in the people’s diet, confectionary products and sweets a major imported product. In 2019, the import value saw a growth of 9,9% from the previous years – US$184.19 million worth of products were imported. Products like sweet biscuits, waffles and chocolate were the most demanded products, coming from Poland, Germany and Ukraine.
Cereals, Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and Vegetables represent 13,4% of the total food imports, with an import value of approx. US$700 million. Hungarian fruit and vegetables importers are working mainly with exporters from the European continent, such as Spain, the Netherlands, or Italy.
In the grains category US$$504.18 million worth of goods were imported, representing 10,3% of total food imports. Here, the leading suppliers are Romania, France and Germany.
3 Food Importers from Hungary:
- Banina Kft
Address: Dayka Gábor U. 3, Budapest
Phone: 003613192678
Website: www.banina.hu - Hering-trade Kft
Address: Köztársaság Utca 2, Komárom-Esztergom
Phone: 003634353684
Website: www.heringtrade - Hungarian Flavours
Address: ÖSszekötő Utca 1, Budapest
Phone: 003619514383
Website: www.hungarianflavours.com
To get access to a list of more active food importers from Hungary, you can access one of the BestFoodImporters databases.