Global 3D Food Printing Market - Analysis and Forecast 2018-2023

Market Overview

The concern regarding food security, climate change, and food sustainability has witnessed widespread surge over the last decade. Increasing population and income growth have resulted in the growing demand for food globally, making food security a prominent issue in the geopolitical agenda. Rising resource insecurity, aging population, globalization, and increasing complexity in food chains have led to an alarming need for effective and sustainable food production systems. Several food processors and technology innovators are working toward the development of sustainable food production systems. 3D printing is one such technology that presents an extensive amount of opportunities to revolutionize the global food industry. This technology is finding massive acceptance in the food industry with several food producers across the world establishing their innovative products in this sector.

The application of 3D printing technology in the food sector has immense potential to fabricate food having complex structures, enhanced textures, and customized nutritional contents. In this technique, food items are fabricated by adding layer-upon-layer of different types of materials such as chocolate, icing, hydrogel, cheese, pizza and pasta dough, butter, and jelly, among others. 3D printing of food enables the users to increase capacity utilization and reduce overall operation costs by reducing wastage. It also allows the users to create meals with better aesthetic features, high nutritional value, and personalized shape and texture. Moreover, the 3D printing technology of food enables the application of alternative ingredients such as algae, fungi, seaweed, lupine, cultured meat, and insects as printing materials. This factor is expected to aid the increasing demand for food production in an ecologically friendly and efficient way. Currently, the 3D food printing market is at its nascent phase with a great deal of ongoing active research. However, there are few 3D food printers presently available in the market.

In the upcoming years, 3D food printing is projected to create a massive impact on the food economy by bridging the gap between small- and large-scale businesses. With the application of 3D printing technology for food production, the management of food inventory is expected to become easier and inexpensive. Moreover, 3D food printing also offers significant market opportunities for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) food manufacturers to produce healthier food, as this technology can regulate the use of preservatives, additives, and other chemicals. Presently, 3D printing applications for food are primitive, with restricted possibilities of structures and textures. However, with further development of innovative technologies, the food fabrication process by 3D printing is expected to expand.

The 3D food printing market is projected to grow from $XX million in the year 2018 to $525.6 million by 2023, at a CAGR of XX% from 2018 to 2023. This growth is highly attributed to the rising awareness among the food innovators concerning the need to elevate food manufacturing systems. The increasing concern over global food security and sustainability has facilitated massive investments by food-tech companies across the globe. The global 3D food printing market is strongly motivated by the increasing demand for customized food products with nutrient content tailored for individual dietary needs.

Depending on the food fabrication technique, several 3D printing technologies have been applied in this field to meet the demand for food design and materials processing. The major types of technologies incorporated for 3D printing of food are fused deposition modelling (FDM), selective sintering, binder jetting, and ink-jet printing. The major factors on which the choice of 3D printing technology depends are the material printability, applicability, and post-processing feasibility. Several established firms as well as start-ups are investing in the development of innovative 3D printing technologies to expand their product offering and increase their market penetration rate in different food verticals.

3D food printing is widely preferred in different verticals of the food industry, such as bakeries and confectioneries, restaurants, retail stores, hospitals, and in governmental organizations. Presently, the most common application of 3D printing is observed in the confectionery segment as well as for military and space and in the hospitals for the elderly. The commercial segment includes bakeries and confectioneries, high-end restaurants, and retail stores. This segment is the largest end-user of 3D food printing devices.

The trends of the 3D food printing market vary with different geographical regions. The 3D food printing market holds a prominent share in various countries of North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Rest of the World (RoW). Presently, North America and Europe are at the forefront of the 3D food printing market, with high penetration in countries such as the U.S., the Netherlands, the U.K., Spain, Italy, and France, among others. However, during the forecast period the Asia-Pacific region is expected to display the highest growth rate. The rapidly growing commercial food industry, elevated standard of living, and increased awareness about the sustainable 3D printing technologies in this region is supporting the growth of the 3D food printing market.
  
Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape for the 3D food printing market demonstrates an inclination toward companies adopting strategies such as product launch and development and partnerships and collaborations. The key established players in the market are focusing on product launches and developments to introduce new technologies or further enrich the existing product portfolio. The leading players operating in this market are 3D Systems Inc., Katjes Magic Candy Factory, Natural Machines, The Hershey Company, byFlow, Print2Taste GmbH, Choc Edge, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Biozoon Food Innovations GmbH, NuFood LLC, Systems & Materials Research Corporation, Crafty Machines Ltd., and BeeHex, among others.

The key players operating in this market have increased the number of product launch activities over the recent years to generate public awareness about their existing and new products and technologies and compete with the competitors’ product portfolio. For instance, in April 2017, a China-based company, DeFacto, launched a 3D printing technology for printing sugar or chocolate foods in China. The process is based on 3D fused deposition modelling (FDM) fused with contemporary mold and casting technology. Partnerships and collaborations strategies have also been significantly employed for expansion in the 3D food printing market. With the increasing growth in the global market, companies operating in this industry are compelled to come up with collaborative strategies with restaurants, retail stores, and other commercial food segments to sustain in the intensely competitive market. For instance, in April 2018, byFlow, a Netherlands-based 3D food printer developer, partnered with Jan Smink, a world-renowned chef, to open a new restaurant in the Netherlands, offering 3D printed foods. In 2016, Katjes Magic Candy Factory collaborated with a Manhattan-based candy store known as Dylan's Candy Bars to launch 3D gummy printers to the U.S. market.