Mecklenburg-West Pomerania: Energy costs: existential concerns in the food industry

Rostock (dpa/mv) - The rising energy costs are causing great concern to the food industry in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Mecklenburg-West Pomerania: Energy costs: existential concerns in the food industry

Rostock (dpa/mv) - The rising energy costs are causing great concern to the food industry in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. "Many companies are simply afraid for their existence," said the Agricultural Marketing Association (AMV) on Wednesday. Chairman Tobias Blömer called for more attention from the state government before the energy summit planned for Monday: "As an industry with by far the highest turnover in the manufacturing sector in our state, we don't feel like we are happening at the moment."

According to the communication, energy costs often make up a significant part of the production costs in food production. For the industry, which is primarily characterized by small and medium-sized companies, it is not only heat that is essential, but also the cold chain that has to be maintained in many places. After optimizations in previous years, there is hardly any potential for savings.

Blömer predicted that food prices would continue to rise. According to a survey in which almost half of all AMV members took part, rising logistics costs also play an important role. There are also personnel problems or price increases at suppliers. The trend towards regionality seems broken because people are keeping their money together. In the survey, more than half of the participating companies reported lower sales in the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of the previous year.

"We need extensive help from politicians for all those who, despite doing well in business, find themselves in difficult waters through no fault of their own," said Blömer. According to its own information, the AMV is the largest network of the agricultural and food industry in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 134 network partners, including companies from industry and trade.