The Role of the Food & Beverage Sector in Expanding Economic Opportunity

The food & beverage industry has a unique role in expanding economic opportunity because it is universal to human life and health. The industry operates at multiple levels of society: families grow crops for their own consumption, communities trade fresh produce and home-processed goods, local companies transform domestic crops for local markets, and international corporations purchase commodities globally to deliver products across geographies. In this diverse landscape, billions of people grow, transform, and sell food, particularly in developing countries where agriculture dominates all other economic sectors. Yet a vast share of these workers cannot both satisfy their immediate consumption needs and earn sufficient income from food markets to improve their lives. This paper provides insight into how pioneering large firms are breaking this dilemma and building economic opportunity around food & beverage value chains.