Starch statistics from
around the world.
We are proud to promote a robust industry dialogue, identify and discuss common industry challenges and provide information about starch statistics from around the world.
United States
Corn refiners buy and process between 10% and 15% of America’s corn production annually. They separate corn kernels into their component parts to make hundreds of products that touch consumer lives in countless ways everyday. For years, those ingredients have been used to make food taste better, cosmetics last longer, pharmaceuticals easier to swallow and plastics environmentally-friendly. Today, corn products are used in 3-D printing inks and studied by nanotechnology scientists as a method for delivering cancer treatments. Because corn refiners produce essential ingredients across so many industries, they have a powerful multiplier effect on the United States economy.
Feedstocks:
Yellow Dent Corn
Products:
Ethanol, corn sweeteners, corn gluten feed, and corn starches: native corn starch, modified corn starch, pregelatinized corn starch and dextrin
Industry Data:
Annual Output: $47.50 Billion USD
Total Jobs supported: 167,786
Total Wages supported: $10.01 Billion USD
Exports: $1.83 Billion USD (starch only $349.82 Million)
Turkey
The Turkish starch industry contributes to local farming by processing 25% of locally grown corn from thousands of local farmers each year. The industry separates its starch from corn, drying it to native and modified starches or breaking it down to its sugars and other value-added products. Almost 100% of corn kernels are converted to economically valuable products. The industry supplies edible oils, fish, calf, lamb and poultry meat, paper, textiles and more to local and international food and beverage industries. With its wide-ranging portfolio, from basic to high-end products, the Turkish starch industry is competitive and has the capacity to grow.
Producers:
9
Feedstocks:
Maize
Products:
Glucose and fructose syrups, native corn starch, modified corn starches, crystalline fructose, polyols, maltodextrins, corn gluten and feed, ethanol
Industry Data:
Supports 1,900 direct jobs
Exports over 400,000 tons annually
Europe
In 20 of the 27 EU member states, the European starch industry’s 30 member companies process 25 million tons of EU agricultural raw materials into 11 million tons of starch-based ingredients and five million tons of proteins and fibers. Of starch-based ingredients, approximately 53% go to the food and beverage industry, and 47% to industrial applications (mainly to the paper, cardboard, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries as a renewable alternative to fossil fuel ingredients). Of the proteins and fibers, approximately 90% go to the animal feed industry and 10% to the food industry.
Producers:
71
Feedstocks:
Maize, wheat and starch potatoes, barley, rice, peas
Products:
Native maize, wheat and potato starches, modified starches, maltodextrins, glucose syrups, dextrose, glucose fructose syrups, polyols, wheat gluten, other proteins
Industry Data:
Supports 16,000 direct jobs
Supports 100,000 indirect jobs
Exports 1.6 billion Euros
Annual industry turnover: 8 billion Euros
Mexico
Corn-based starch is an important ingredient in Mexico for the brewing and paper markets. The industry is growing due to investments in brewing capacity.
Industry Data:
Annual output of between $300 million and $500 million USD
Supports 2,500 direct jobs
Supports 7,500 indirect jobs
United Kingdom
The British Starch Industry Association (BSIA) represents and promotes the common interests of UK Starch manufacturers. BSIA acts on behalf of its members as a central medium of communication with UK Government, any UK trade, regulatory or enforcement bodies and other public/private bodies, and political institutions at a European level, where appropriate. BSIA currently has two member companies where the meetings are held on a biannual basis with an additional ad hoc issue topic meeting per year. BSIA is a member of the Food and Drink Federation.
BSIA
Producers:
2
Feedstocks:
Wheat
Products:
Wheat starch, gluten, liquid sweeteners,
glucose syrups, glucose-fructose syrups, feed materials, native starch, alcohol
UK Starch Industry
Producers:
5
Feedstocks:
Corn, wheat and potatoes
Products:
Native starches, modified starches, maltodextrins, glucose syrups, dextrose, glucose fructose syrups, polyols, feed products
Industry Data:
Supports 300 direct jobs
Annual output: 17 £ million
Annual sales: 352 £ million
Russia
Ten of Russia’s 23 plants are the largest producers of 90% of all starch products. Annual production of starch and derivatives in Russia is 1.1 million tons, including 70% sweeteners.
Producers:
23
Feedstocks:
Corn, wheat, potatoes
Products:
Native corn, wheat and potato starches, modified starches, glucose syrups, HFS, dextrins, maltodextrins, wheat and corn gluten
Industry Data:
Supports 4,000 jobs
Annual output of $600 million USD
Exports worth $28.5 million USD
China
Founded in 1984, the China Starch Industry Association is a cross-regional and cross-sectional social organization composed of institutions divided into eight professional committees with 280 members. The rapid development of starch and starch derivatives in China has driven progress in the food, medicine, biology and chemical industries. At the same time, it has made substantial contributions to the healthy and rapid development of the domestic economy by helping agriculture, countryside farmers, the agricultural economy and protecting workers’ livelihoods.
Producers:
170
Feedstocks:
Corn, potato, cassava, sweet potato, wheat
Products:
Native starch, pregelatinized starch, chemically modified starch, starch sugar, polyols, ethanol
Industry Data:
Annual output of 30.1 million tons of starches
Annual output of 16.3 million tons of starch deep processing products
Why is the global starch industry important?
The starch industry is at the very heart of food production: supplying hundreds of ingredients for use in thousands of food products and animal feed.
At the same time, starches play a vital role in a wide variety of products beyond food. Natural and modified food starches can be found in products and processes in the consumer products, pharmaceutical, energy, industrial and chemical sectors.
With the world beginning a gradual shift away from fossil fuels as the primary engine of economic prosperity, there will be a larger opportunity for starch producers to contribute renewable, sustainable materials through the bioeconomy.
A word on sustainability:
Whether it involves food and worker safety, resource efficiency or securing affordable food for a growing global population, sustainability is integral to the starch industry,
By the year 2050, the world population is expected to rise to over 9 billion people. In order to meet the nutrition demands of this growing population, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that food production will need to increase by 70 percent.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about the sustainable aspects of their food including safety, nutritional value and environmental footprint.
This focus on sustainable production growth must occur as climate patterns continue to change, populations increase and pressure mounts for transparency and accountability among food producers and processors.
Our Priorities:
Food and
Workplace Safety
Food safety is very important to worldwide socio-economic development, as foodborne diseases can cause significant disruptions in a country’s economy. Many of the issues that can cause unsafe food can be addressed through proper workplace health and safety procedures. Ensuring a safe and productive workforce is vital to the security of society as a whole.
Environmental Responsibility
We must meet the demands of now while ensuring future generations are able to meet their own means – all while balancing production methods with their environmental impact. And this must all occur within the framework of intensifying environmental regulation. Many of these responsibilities can be addressed through the advancement of the bioeconomy and biogenic CO2 as 21st century solutions.
Sustainable Production
A significant improvement in food production will be necessary to meet rising global demand while working with finite natural resources. This goal can be achieved through adaptation of best management practices on farmlands, more sophisticated farm equipment for efficient application of resources and an acceleration in the development and utilization of biotechnology.
Resources:
Learn more about the members of the International Starch Federation by clicking the links below:
About Us
The International Federation of Starch Associations is a developing global consortium of starch and sweetener stakeholders with four primary functions:
- To share resources and coordinate on product reputation defense.
- To share resources and coordinate on policy advocacy, including health & nutrition, workplace safety, sustainability and environmental affairs.
- Present common positions on product safety and nutrition issues to international organizations (e.g. WHO, international nutrition/scientific societies).
- Provide joint representation on areas of shared interest to international standards organizations (e.g. Codex, ISO)
Contact:
Corn Refiners Association
