Overview

Products and Quality

Austria stands for food and drink from the best natural sources and for the highest quality control standards. Successful exports include environmentally friendly raw produce and products with a distinct character. Austrian food and drink producers face stiff competition on the small domestic market, making them fit for the competitive world of exports!  

Dairy Industry

Around 90 Austrian dairies and cheese factories bring years of competence to working to the highest quality standards. No expense is spared on ingredients and production techniques and the strategy has paid off - in this area a higher value of goods are exported than imported.

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Meat Industry

The opportunities in this area lie in the export of fresh meat to selected third country markets such as Japan or Switzerland, and to the neighbouring central and eastern European countries. Consumers have highest confidence in beef and pork from Austria wihich is reflected by the export figures of 2008. 

Cured meats are particularly popular on the export markets, especially Austrian bacon. 76,00 tonnes of sausage, cured meats and bacon were exported in 2008.

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Austrian Quality

Austria has developed into a gourmet country over the past years. With quality and taste, Austria's food and drinks industry has managed to position itself not only on the domestic market, but also on more than 160 export markets. The increase in the export quota of 16.6% in 2007 to 58.9% in 2008 underlines the success.

Ambitious farmers, vintners and chefs have perfected their wares. They develop produce of the highest quality for food lovers. The Austrian food and drinks manufacturers take the lead in quality standards on the European and international markets. More and more high-price luxury products are being exported, with consumers across the world ready to pay appropriate prices for quality and exceptional taste.

The largest share of agricultural exports are from the food and drinks industry (customs section 16-24). The Austrian food and drinks industry is responsible for 56.9% of total agriculture exports. Leading export areas are energy drinks, carbonated drinks and iced teas, along with pastries, cakes and other sweet Austrian delicacies.

Some of the wide range of Austrian food and drinks which enjoy an international following:
 

In Austria top wine making culture forms an original symbiosis with modern architecture.
Find out more by listening to an audio stream: Wine and Architecture [mp3, 894.8kb]

Regional specialities and organic agriculture

Austria is world famous for its wide range of high quality regional delicacies and is at the forefront of the international trend for organic produce with its ever increasing organic share. 

Every Austrian federal province has its own culinary identity - from specialist jams to 'Alpine salmon' to exquisite wines. The most popular organic products from Austria include meat, cured meats, cereals, pastries, milk and dairy products.   

Regional Quality

Whether it's Styrian pumpkin seed oil or apricots from the Wachau, all regional delicacies from Austria display the producers' insistence on quality control and innovation. And it's not only about continuing traditional recipes - also new products are constantly being developed.

The structure of the Austrian agriculture industry is composed of small and medium enterprises, ensuring that the best raw produce and a wealth of experience go into all our regional delicacies.

Organic Produce

Organic agriculture enhances nature and contributes to sustainable protection of the countryside. Find out more by listening to an audio stream: Organic Farming [mp3, 883.7kb]

The guiding principle of organic agriculture is to stay in step with nature, offering the highest quality natural, energy-giving products by respecting the land. Austria is a world leader in the share of organic agriculture holdings and numbers are constantly rising.  

Around 20,000 organic farmers manage almost 16% of Austria's agricultural land. Around 10% of organic production is exported. The most important product gropus are dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and meat products. 

Export markets

The EU is the most important export market for Austria, accounting for around 78% of total exports. Germany and Italy are Austria's key partners for agriculture exports, while Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia are significant markets for Austrian food and drinks.

Per capita imports from Austria

The traditional Austrian export markets of Germany and Italy import EUR 31.50 and EUR 21.43 worth of Austrian food and drinks per capita respectively .

Slovenia and Swizerland have especially high per capita Austrian import figures. Poland has high export potential for the Austrian food industry and highly processed products with a current per capita import rate of just EUR 3.84.

The most important export market - Germany

In 2006 exports to Germany increased by a further 11% from their already impressive levels. Agricultural produce worth over 2.6 billion EURO went from Austria to Germany. The most successful product groups exported were milk and dairy products, drinks and pastries. 

Since 2006 more beef exported was exported from Austria to Germany than vice versa. Cured meats and bacon are especially popular in Austria's most important export market. 

Machinery for the food and drinks industry

Companies from the Austrian machinery industry are successful exporters world-wide. The high technical standards and the know how of the innovative machinery sector is highly prized and respected on the european and international markets. 

Austrian providers do not only produce the machinery, but also deliver modules, tools and automation - guaranteeing customers the highest quality and productivity. Key success factors include a well-trained workforce, high quality standards and an established network with manufacturers in other countries.