Costa Rica: Food Processing Ingredients
Costa Rica’s food processing sector continues to grow, in response to the demand for ready-to-eat meals and convenience foods. Millennial consumers are considered the greatest driving force of this sector, as they have more expendable income. Costa Rica’s retail and food service sector is under modernization, as it tries to catch up with international trends. Thus, there are more private sector efforts to develop Costa Rica’s food and beverage manufacturing sector. Local processors are trending towards natural additives, preservatives, thickeners and sweeteners. In addition, consumers are increasingly more health consciousness, influencing the development of healthier choices for packaged/prepared foods. U.S. producers of herbs, spices, superfoods, condiments, extracts, Omega-3 fatty acids, fibers and antioxidant compounds in particular can find an opportunity in this market and food processors are looking to add these ingredients to their recipes. Corn, soybeans and wheat are also in high demand for animal feed manufactures.
