Growing demand for packaged food is expected to drive the growth of the food robotics market size

The global food robotics market was valued at US$402.2 million in 2019, and it is expected to reach US$745 million by the end of 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.1% during 2021-2026. The growth rate of industrial robotics adoption in the food & beverage industry outpaces those in traditional industries like automotive and electronics.

Food robots carry out complex manufacturing processes, such as dispensing, feed placement, packaging, and casing, pick-and-placing products into containers, sorting raw material, and labeling packages. They help perform repetitive and tedious production tasks at high speed in extreme conditions like high temperatures. They also save space and time, lower production costs, and improve the cleanliness, safety, and efficiency of manufacturing processes. As a result, leading players in the food and beverage (F&B) industry worldwide is automating the food production process using food robotics technology to mass-produce products with high precision and yields.

Growing demand for packaged food is expected to drive the growth of the food robotics market size. To maximize their shelf life and appeal to the demand for ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products, there has been a rising need to package food products. Mass production of packaged food products has driven the food robotics market, especially in countries such as the United States, Japan, France, and Italy. Processes are being automated in most large-scale food processing plants to ensure quality and consistency in stock-keeping units (SKUs).

The functionality and use of robots have historically been restricted to heavy payloads in transportation equipment. However, with the growing versatility of robots, more industries are accepting automation with mainly low payload robots, such as the food processing industry. To comply with health authority requirements, parts such as dairy and bakery in the food and beverage sector reduce human intervention in the manufacturing process. Thus, the food robotics market size is expected to increase with the increase in robots' functionality, including packaging, repackaging, and palletizing.