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Research and development statistics
R&D Statistics: 70+ Figures on Research and Development Spend, Productivity and AI (2026)
Food companies spend less on research and development than almost any industry that calls itself innovative, and most of what they spend is still run on spreadsheets. The global figures are large and slowing; the food and consumer-goods figures are small and, by the industry's own account, under-tooled. This page puts both side by side, with the AI estimates that are now reshaping R&D budgets.
Every statistic links to the organisation that produced it, with the year and the source wording. We compiled the list for our work with food, beverage and consumer-goods R&D teams and update it in place.
The BOX is an AI innovation platform for F&B and FMCG NPD teams, built by Quartz Labs.
R&D statistics worth knowing in 2026
- Global R&D expenditure totalled US$2.6 trillion in 2021, in purchasing-power-parity dollars (NSF NCSES, 2021)
- The world's top 2,000 R&D-investing companies spent €1,257.7 billion on R&D in 2023, with growth slowing to 7.8% from 12.6% in 2022 (EU Joint Research Centre, 2023)
- Of that US$692 billion, 79% was development, 15% applied research and 6% basic research (NSF NCSES, 2022)
- Aggregate US research productivity has declined by a factor of 41 since the 1930s, an average fall of more than 5% a year (Bloom, Jones, Van Reenen & Webb, NBER, 2017)
- Nearly 60% of senior executives say they are freezing or cutting their spending on innovation (McKinsey, 2024)
- US pharmaceutical companies spent US$138.3 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022, sixteen times the food sector's US$8.6 billion (NSF NCSES, 2022)
- The EU food and drink industry's private R&D investment intensity is 0.24% (FoodDrinkEurope, 2021)
- US food manufacturers spent US$8.6 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022, about 1% of all US business R&D (NSF NCSES, 2022)
- 82% of food and beverage companies depend on manual administrative practices such as spreadsheets, email and paper, and 26% say they are very reliant on them (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2025)
- 83% of food and beverage companies increased new product development spending in 2025, up from 76% in 2024 and 64% in 2023 (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2025)
- AI-accelerated R&D could produce about US$360 billion to US$560 billion of annual economic value, in McKinsey's estimate (McKinsey QuantumBlack, 2025)
- Two-thirds of corporate researchers have used AI for work, but only 27% say AI tools are trustworthy (Elsevier, 2025)
How much is spent on R&D worldwide?
About US$2.6 trillion a year, with 2,000 companies doing half of it and 50 companies doing a fifth. Growth has slowed every year since 2022. Most of the money is development, not research: in the United States, 6 cents of every business R&D dollar goes to basic research.
Global R&D expenditure totalled US$2.6 trillion in 2021, in purchasing-power-parity dollars (NSF NCSES, 2021[1])
Source wording
“the global total for R&D expenditures was $2.6 trillion in U.S. current PPP dollars in 2021.”
The world's top 2,000 R&D-investing companies spent €1,257.7 billion on R&D in 2023, with growth slowing to 7.8% from 12.6% in 2022 (EU Joint Research Centre, 2023[2])
Source wording
“Despite slowing global R&D growth (+7.8% vs. +12.6% in 2022), in 2023 the world's top 2000 R&D investing companies dedicated €1257.7 billion to R&D.”
The top 50 companies alone invested €504 billion in 2023, 40.1% of everything the 2,000 Scoreboard companies spent (EU Joint Research Centre, 2023[2])
Source wording
“Together, these companies invested EUR 504 billion in R&D in 2023, which accounts for 40.1% of the total R&D investment by Scoreboard companies.”
EU-headquartered companies grew R&D 9.8% in 2023, ahead of US companies at 5.9% and Chinese companies at 9.6%, for the first time since 2013 (EU Joint Research Centre, 2023[2])
Source wording
“The report reveals strong growth in research and innovation investments by EU-headquartered companies (+9,8%), surpassing both US (+5,9%) and Chinese (+9,6%) counterparts for the first time since 2013.”
R&D intensity across the OECD area stood at 2.7% of GDP in 2023 (OECD, via ITIF, 2023[3])
Source wording
“R&D intensity, stood at 2.7 percent in 2023, with low growth rates across several OECD nations, including the United States (1.7 percent) and the EU (1.6 percent).”
R&D investment in OECD countries grew 2.4% between 2022 and 2023, down from 3.6% the year before (OECD, via ITIF, 2023[3])
Source wording
“Between 2022 and 2023, R&D investment in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations grew by 2.4 percent, a slowdown from the 3.6 percent growth the previous year.”
US businesses performed US$692 billion of R&D in the United States in 2022, up 14.8% on 2021 (NSF NCSES, 2022[4])
Source wording
“Businesses continued to increase their research and development (R&D) performance in 2022, spending $692 billion on R&D in the United States, a 14.8% increase from 2021.”
Of that US$692 billion, 79% was development, 15% applied research and 6% basic research (NSF NCSES, 2022[4])
Source wording
“In 2022, of the $692 billion that companies spent on R&D, $43 billion (6%) was for basic research, $101 billion (15%) was for applied research, and $548 billion (79%) was for development.”
The 1,000 largest corporate R&D spenders ran at an all-time high R&D intensity of 4.5% of revenue in 2018 (Strategy&, 2018[5])
Source wording
“R&D intensity remains at an all-time study high of 4.5%, with revenue for the 1000 companies rising by 11.4%”
Is R&D getting less productive?
Yes, by every long-run measure, and executives know it. Bloom and colleagues' finding that research productivity falls more than 5% a year is the backdrop to the 2024 McKinsey survey, in which most companies are freezing or cutting innovation spending while expecting a quarter of their revenue to come from products that do not exist yet.
Aggregate US research productivity has declined by a factor of 41 since the 1930s, an average fall of more than 5% a year (Bloom, Jones, Van Reenen & Webb, NBER, 2017[6])
Source wording
“research productivity has declined by a factor of 41 since the 1930s, an average decrease of more than 5% per year.”
The number of new drugs approved per billion dollars of R&D halved roughly every nine years between 1950 and 2011 (Scannell et al., via McKinsey, 2025[7])
Source wording
“He and his research collaborators found that the number of new drugs approved per billion US dollars spent on R&D halved roughly every nine years between 1950 and 2011.”
Nearly 60% of senior executives say they are freezing or cutting their spending on innovation (McKinsey, 2024[8])
Source wording
“Nearly 60 percent of respondents say they are either freezing or cutting their spending on innovation.”
Another 30% are holding innovation funding flat (McKinsey, 2024[8])
Source wording
“Another 30 percent are holding funding for innovation flat.”
Nearly half of executives say only a quarter or fewer of their innovation projects get to market on time (McKinsey, 2024[8])
Source wording
“Nearly half of respondents say that only a quarter or fewer of their innovation projects get to market on time.”
About a third see a similarly low share of projects launching within budget (McKinsey, 2024[8])
Source wording
“About a third say they see a similar low rate launch within budget.”
A third of executives expect more than a quarter of their company's revenue in the next three years to come from offerings not yet on the market (McKinsey, 2024[8])
Source wording
“A third of surveyed executives expect more than a quarter of their companies' revenue in the next three years to come from offerings not yet on the market.”
How much do consumer-goods companies spend on R&D?
Roughly 2% of sales at the two biggest, which is high for the sector. Unilever's own numbers are the most transparent in the industry; P&G's US$2 billion a year has been the benchmark since 2012. The sector's R&D growth briefly led all industries in 2018.
US makers of soap, cleaning compounds and toilet preparations spent US$3.8 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022 (NSF NCSES, 2022[9])
Source wording
“Soap, cleaning compound, and toilet preparations (3256): 3,803 (Total), 3,564 (Company-paid), 238 (Others-paid)”
The consumer industry overtook software and internet in 2018 as the fastest-growing sector for R&D spending among the Global Innovation 1000, at 26.3% (Strategy&, 2018[5])
Source wording
“The Consumer industry overtook Software & Internet for the first time in 5 years as the fastest growth in R&D spending”
Unilever's R&D investment totalled €836 million in 2025, excluding the demerged ice-cream business (Unilever, 2025[10])
Source wording
“In 2025, R&D investment totalled €836 million, reflecting the exclusion of the Ice Cream business following its demerger.”
Unilever's R&D organisation has more than 4,300 scientific and technical experts, including over 500 PhDs (Unilever, 2025[10])
Source wording
“With more than 4,300 scientific and technical experts, including over 500 PhDs, Unilever's R&D organisation powers the products and innovation behind our 30 Power Brands that are trusted across the globe.”
Unilever holds a portfolio of more than 16,500 active patents (Unilever, 2025[10])
Source wording
“With a portfolio of more than 16,500 active patents, new technologies and ingredients continue to strengthen performance and deepen consumer preference.”
Unilever reports €1.8 billion of incremental turnover from innovation (Unilever, 2025[10])
Source wording
“€1.8bn Incremental turnover from innovation”
Procter & Gamble spends around US$2 billion on research and development every year (P&G, via Marketing Magazine, 2012[11])
Source wording
“It spends around $2 billion on research and development every year”
In 2012 P&G set a target of directing 40% of its innovation output at disruptive solutions that create new categories, and 60% at large established markets (P&G, via Marketing Magazine, 2012[11])
Source wording
“40% of its innovation output would be directed to 'disruptive solutions that create new categories' while the other 60% would be directed to large, established markets.”
How much do food and beverage companies spend on R&D?
Very little, measured as intensity. The whole US food-manufacturing sector spends less on R&D than a single large pharmaceutical company, and European food and drink runs at 0.24% of output. The company figures below are the best public ones; the Nestlé numbers are from 2017–18 because current primary figures were not reachable when we compiled this.
Sector totals and intensity
US food manufacturers spent US$8.6 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022, about 1% of all US business R&D (NSF NCSES, 2022[9])
Source wording
“Food (311): 8,605 (Total), 8,247 (Company-paid), 358 (Others-paid)”
US beverage and tobacco manufacturers spent US$1.4 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022 (NSF NCSES, 2022[9])
Source wording
“Beverage and tobacco products (312): 1,397 (Total), 1,290 (Company-paid), 107 (Others-paid)”
US pharmaceutical companies spent US$138.3 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022, sixteen times the food sector's US$8.6 billion (NSF NCSES, 2022[9])
Source wording
“Pharmaceuticals and medicines (3254): 138,339 (Total), 126,722 (Company-paid), 11,617 (Others-paid)”
The EU food and drink industry's private R&D investment intensity is 0.24% (FoodDrinkEurope, 2021[12])
Source wording
“0.24% EU¹ R&D private investment intensity”
Nine EU-based food and drink companies among the world's top 2,500 R&D investors spent €2.1 billion on R&D (FoodDrinkEurope, 2021[12])
Source wording
“€2.1 billion of which was invested by 9 food and drink companies based in the EU”
In 2004, food and drink R&D intensity was 0.24% of industry output in the EU, against 0.35% in the US, 0.40% in Australia and 1.21% in Japan (CIAA, via FoodNavigator, 2004[13])
Source wording
“In 2004, the R&D intensity, expressed as expenditure in the food and drink industry as a percentage of industry output, was, on average, 0.24 per cent, according to figures released this month by the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries (CIAA). The equivalent figures for the US is 0.35 per cent, Australia at 0.40 per cent and Japan tops out at 1.21 per cent.”
Of the 85% of EU food firms that innovate, at least 40% have no department formally dedicated to R&D (CIAA, via FoodNavigator, 2007[13])
Source wording
“Of the 85 per cent of all firms that carry out product and process innovation, at least 40 per cent do not have a department dedicated formally to R&D.”
Global private-sector R&D related to food manufacturing reached US$11.48 billion in 2007, up from US$6.02 billion in 1994 (USDA ERS, 2007[14])
Source wording
“In 2007, global private-sector investments in R&D related to food manufacturing reached $11.48 billion, an increase from $6.02 billion in 1994.”
By 2007, food manufacturing accounted for about 58% of global private food and agricultural R&D (USDA ERS, 2007[14])
Source wording
“R&D expenditures in food manufacturing rose faster than those in agricultural input industries, and by 2007, food manufacturing accounted for about 58 percent of the overall annual total.”
US private R&D in food and agricultural inputs doubled from US$6.0 billion in 2003 to US$11.8 billion in 2013, adjusted for inflation (USDA ERS, 2013[15])
Source wording
“Total private R&D—in both the food and agricultural input sectors—increased from a total of $6.0 billion (adjusted for inflation) in 2003 to $11.8 billion in 2013.”
Over the same decade, US public food and agricultural R&D fell from US$6.0 billion to around US$4.5 billion (USDA ERS, 2013[15])
Source wording
“Meanwhile, total public R&D fell from $6.0 billion to around $4.5 billion.”
Cumulative government investment in alternative proteins reached at least US$2.5 billion by 2025, from about US$700 million in 2021 (Good Food Institute, 2025[16])
Source wording
“GFI's 2021 report's cumulative total of approximately $700 million in government investments has become at least $2.5 billion as of 2025, and the 16 countries that had begun working to advance alternative proteins now total at least 33.”
Company figures
Nestlé spent CHF 1.72 billion on R&D in 2017, up 22% from 2012 (Nestlé, via ESM Magazine, 2017[17])
Source wording
“Nestlé spent 1.72 billion Swiss francs ($1.73 billion) on R&D last year, down slightly from 2016 but up 22 percent from 2012.”
Nestlé's R&D involves around 5,000 people worldwide (Nestlé, via ESM Magazine, 2018[17])
Source wording
“Nestlé does R&D around the world, involving around 5,000 people.”
Nestlé says it reformulates one-third of its product portfolio every year (Nestlé, via ESM Magazine, 2018[17])
Source wording
“The company says it reformulates one third of its product portfolio every year.”
Across ten large publicly traded US food companies, median spending on R&D and advertising fell 20% over five years to 2018 (Wells Fargo, via ESM Magazine, 2018[17])
Source wording
“Wells Fargo analyst John Baumgartner said that across 10 large publicly traded U.S. food companies, median expenses for R&D and advertising have declined 20 percent over the past five years.”
General Mills' R&D expense was US$256.0 million in fiscal 2026, flat on US$256.6 million the year before, about 1.3% of sales (General Mills, 2026[18])
Source wording
“Research and development expense 256.0 256.6 257.8 257.6 243.1”
Mars invested US$42 million in a 44,000-square-foot snacking R&D hub drawing on 300 R&D associates (Mars, via Consumer Goods Technology, 2024[19])
Source wording
“the 44,000-square-foot facility, a $42 million-dollar investment from Mars”
Danone's Paris-Saclay research and innovation centre opened with 550 researchers (Danone, via DairyReporter, 2023[20])
Source wording
“The site will initially be home to 550 researchers with expertise in life sciences, fermentation, nutrition and health, as well as specialists in consumer research, social sciences, packaging and production.”
Danone is investing nearly €40 million in its Madrid R&I hub, which leads more than 30 global projects a year (Danone, via ICEX, 2026[21])
Source wording
“It will invest nearly 40 million euros in a facility it describes as unique in the world.”
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Japan | 1.21% |
| Australia | 0.4% |
| United States | 0.35% |
| European Union | 0.24% |
Source: CIAA (now FoodDrinkEurope), reported by FoodNavigator, 2007. Chart: Quartz Labs.
How digital is food and beverage R&D?
Barely. The TraceGains surveys are run by a software vendor and should be read that way, but the direction is consistent with what we hear in discovery calls: budgets up three years running, four in five teams on spreadsheets and email, and a small minority all-in on AI.
83% of food and beverage companies increased new product development spending in 2025, up from 76% in 2024 and 64% in 2023 (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2025[22])
Source wording
“83% of companies increasing new product development (NPD) spending in 2025, up from 76% in 2024 and 64% in 2023”
82% of food and beverage companies depend on manual administrative practices such as spreadsheets, email and paper, and 26% say they are very reliant on them (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2025[22])
Source wording
“Eighty-two percent of companies depend on manual administrative practices like spreadsheets, email and paper-based systems with 26% saying they're 'very reliant' on the tools”
Only 2% of food and beverage companies describe themselves as fully automated and digitised (TraceGains, via Supermarket Perimeter, 2025[23])
Source wording
“2% of companies are fully automated and digitized”
37% of food and beverage brands still rely on manual processes and 23% say they work on outdated technology (TraceGains, 2024[24])
Source wording
“37% of brands still rely on manual processes, 25% are struggling with staffing challenges, and 23% acknowledge working on outdated technology”
56% of food and beverage brands cite a lack of tools to ensure NPD success (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2024[25])
Source wording
“More than half of respondents (56%) cited 'a lack of tools to ensure success'”
More than 70% of food and beverage manufacturers now handle concept ideation, ingredient selection and recipe formulation in-house (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2024[25])
Source wording
“over 70% of manufacturers said concept ideation, ingredient selection and recipe formulation are now handled in-house”
36% of food and beverage brands were already testing product development with AI in February 2024 (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2024[25])
Source wording
“36% of respondents said they already were testing product development with AI”
17% of food and beverage product developers describe themselves as all-in on AI tools in 2025, up seven points on 2024 (TraceGains, via Baking Business, 2025[22])
Source wording
“Seventeen percent of respondents are 'all in' on AI tools, a 7% increase since 2024”
32% of food and beverage respondents remain wary of integrating AI tools, down from 44% a year earlier (TraceGains, via Supermarket Perimeter, 2025[23])
Source wording
“32% of respondents remain wary about integrating AI tools into their workplace, which is down from 44%”
Approximately 15–20% of food and beverage companies have integrated AI into their operations (BCC Research, 2025[26])
Source wording
“Approximately 15% to 20% of food and beverage companies have already integrated AI into their operations”
Just 13% of food-science professionals say they are extremely concerned about AI's impact on their jobs (IFT, via Food Ingredients First, 2026[27])
Source wording
“Just 13% of respondents said they were extremely concerned about the impact of AI on their jobs”
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 64% |
| 2024 | 76% |
| 2025 | 83% |
Source: TraceGains New Product Development reports, 2023–2025 (vendor survey). Chart: Quartz Labs.
What will AI do to R&D?
The McKinsey estimate is the number that boards are quoting: US$360–560 billion a year, with R&D processes 20–80% faster. It is a model, not a measurement. The researcher surveys are the counterweight: nearly everyone expects AI to speed discovery, and about a quarter trust the tools.
AI-accelerated R&D could produce about US$360 billion to US$560 billion of annual economic value, in McKinsey's estimate (McKinsey QuantumBlack, 2025[7])
Source wording
“Overall, our analysis estimates that the potential annual economic value that could be unlocked by using AI to accelerate R&D innovation is about $360 billion to $560 billion.”
For industries that produce complex manufactured products, R&D processes could be accelerated by 20% to 80%, depending on the industry (McKinsey QuantumBlack, 2025[7])
Source wording
“For industries that produce complex manufactured products, R&D processes could be accelerated by 20 to 80 percent, depending on the industry.”
AI could substantially accelerate R&D across a set of industries that make up 80% of large corporate R&D expenditure (McKinsey QuantumBlack, 2025[7])
Source wording
“Our research finds that AI could substantially accelerate R&D processes across a set of industries that make up 80 percent of large corporate R&D expenditures.”
At the top end, throughput acceleration ranges from 75% for chemicals R&D to more than 100% for pharmaceutical discovery (McKinsey QuantumBlack, 2025[7])
Source wording
“the top end of the ranges of throughput acceleration ranges from 75 percent for chemicals R&D to more than 100 percent for pharmaceutical discovery.”
In consumer goods, including food, beverages and personal care, about three-quarters of AI's estimated R&D impact comes from generating new-product candidates (McKinsey QuantumBlack, 2025[7])
Source wording
“About three-quarters of the AI impact we estimated for these industries comes from the generation of new-product candidates.”
96% of corporate researchers think AI will accelerate knowledge discovery (Elsevier, via Chemical Engineering, 2024[28])
Source wording
“The vast majority (96%) think AI will accelerate knowledge discovery”
Two-thirds of corporate researchers have used AI for work, but only 27% say AI tools are trustworthy (Elsevier, 2025[29])
Source wording
“While two-thirds of respondents have used AI for work, only 27% say that AI tools are trustworthy.”
80% of companies are using AI in product development, in a survey of 656 executives in Europe, Japan and the US (Aras survey, 2025[30])
Source wording
“80 percent of companies using AI in product development”
Adoption of AI in product development is 28% higher among companies that use PLM software (Aras survey, 2025[31])
Source wording
“the adoption of AI in product development is 28% higher among PLM users”
More than half of companies still use email or file-sharing services to exchange product data with suppliers (Aras survey, 2025[30])
Source wording
“More than half use email or file sharing services to exchange data”
How big is the R&D software market?
It depends who is counting. CIMdata's US$80 billion for product lifecycle management includes CAD, simulation and electronic design; the research firms' US$35 billion counts the software layer. Food-specific tools are a rounding error inside either, which is the opportunity.
The overall PLM market grew to US$80.3 billion in 2024, 10.7% growth over 2023 on CIMdata's broad definition (CIMdata, 2025[32])
Source wording
“The PLM market grew to US$80.3 billion overall in 2024, 10.7% growth over 2023, over our forecast of 8.6%”
The PLM market is projected to grow from US$36.60 billion in 2026 to US$58.52 billion by 2031, a 9.8% CAGR (MarketsandMarkets, 2026[33])
Source wording
“the Product Lifecycle Management Market is projected to grow from USD 36.60 billion in 2026 to USD 58.52 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 9.8%”
Grand View Research projects the PLM market at US$93.12 billion by 2033, an 8.5% CAGR from 2026 (Grand View Research, 2026[34])
Source wording
“USD 93.12 billion by 2033, registering a CAGR of 8.5% from 2026 to 2033”
PLM spending is greatest in aerospace and defence, automotive, machinery and electronics, and lower in the process industries, per CIMdata (CIMdata, 2025[32])
Source wording
“PLM spending is greatest in aerospace & defense, automotive & other transportation, mechanical machinery and heavy equipment, and electronics and high-tech. It is lower in the process industries and utilities.”
The laboratory information management system market is expected to reach US$3.5 billion by 2030, growing 6.7% a year from 2023 (Grand View Research, 2023[35])
Source wording
“The global laboratory information management system market size is expected to reach USD 3.5 billion by 2030”
MarketsandMarkets values the LIMS market at US$2.54 billion in 2024, reaching US$5.19 billion by 2030 at a 12.5% CAGR (MarketsandMarkets, 2025[36])
Source wording
“valued at US$2.54 billion in 2024, is forecasted to grow at a robust CAGR of 12.5%, reaching US$2.88 billion in 2025 and an impressive US$5.19 billion by 2030”
The electronic lab notebook market is estimated at US$0.72 billion in 2025, reaching US$1.03 billion by 2030 (MarketsandMarkets, 2025[37])
Source wording
“USD 0.72 billion in 2025 and to reach USD 1.03 billion by 2030”
The smart food formulation software market is projected to grow from US$0.6 billion in 2025 to US$2.4 billion by 2035 (Global Insight Services, 2026[38])
Source wording
“The global Smart Food Formulation Software Market is projected to grow from $0.6 billion in 2025 to $2.4 billion by 2035, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.3%.”
The AI in food and beverage market, across manufacturing, supply chain and retail, is projected to grow from US$10.8 billion in 2024 to US$50.6 billion by 2030 (BCC Research, 2025[26])
Source wording
“the global AI in food & beverage market is projected to grow from $10.8 billion in 2024 to $50.6 billion by the end of 2030, at a CAGR of 29.6%”
Market-size estimates from different firms are not comparable. CIMdata's PLM figure is more than twice the research firms' because it counts CAD, simulation and electronic design tools. Quote one firm, name it, and keep its definition.
Questions people ask
How much is spent on R&D globally?
About US$2.6 trillion in 2021 in purchasing-power-parity terms (NSF NCSES, Science and Engineering Indicators 2024). The world's top 2,000 corporate R&D investors spent €1,257.7 billion in 2023 (EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard), and the top 50 of them accounted for 40.1% of that.
What is a typical R&D intensity?
R&D intensity across the OECD was 2.7% of GDP in 2023. The 1,000 largest corporate R&D spenders ran at 4.5% of revenue in 2018 (Strategy&). Food and drink is far lower: 0.24% of industry output in the EU, 0.35% in the US and 1.21% in Japan in the CIAA comparison.
How much do food companies spend on R&D?
US food manufacturers spent US$8.6 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022 (NSF), about 1% of all US business R&D. Nestlé reported CHF 1.72 billion in 2017, General Mills US$256 million in fiscal 2026, and nine EU food and drink companies among the global top 2,500 R&D investors spent €2.1 billion between them.
Which industry spends the most on R&D?
In the US business R&D survey, pharmaceuticals and medicines spent US$138.3 billion on worldwide R&D in 2022, sixteen times the food sector. Across the EU's top 800 investors, automotive is the largest sector at 34.2% of R&D (EU JRC, 2024).
Is R&D productivity declining?
Yes. Bloom, Jones, Van Reenen and Webb found aggregate US research productivity has fallen by a factor of 41 since the 1930s, more than 5% a year. In pharmaceuticals, new drugs approved per billion dollars of R&D halved roughly every nine years from 1950 to 2011.
How much could AI add to R&D?
McKinsey estimates US$360–560 billion of annual economic value from AI-accelerated R&D, with processes 20–80% faster in complex manufactured-product industries. In consumer goods, about three-quarters of that impact comes from generating new-product candidates. These are modelled potentials, not measured results.
What share of food and beverage R&D is still manual?
In TraceGains' 2025 survey, 82% of food and beverage companies depend on spreadsheets, email and paper for product development administration, and only 2% describe themselves as fully digitised. TraceGains sells the alternative, so read the survey as directional.
How we built this list
We built this page from a library of 301 statistics on innovation, R&D and new product development compiled for our own work with food, beverage and consumer-goods R&D teams. For each figure we opened the source page, copied the sentence containing the number, and recorded the organisation, publication and year. A second pass re-opened a random 30% of the sources to check the wording.
Two limits are worth knowing. Company R&D figures for P&G, PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz are missing because the SEC filings would not load when we compiled the list, and the Nestlé figures date from 2017–18 for the same reason; we will add current figures when we can reach them. The TraceGains and Aras surveys come from software vendors who sell the solution to the problem they measure; we include them because they are the only sector-specific adoption data in print, and we say so where they appear.
Corrections and additions: hello@quartzlabs.ai. The page is updated in place; the "last updated" date changes only when the content does.
Cite this page
APA: Kahan, J. (2026, October 1). R&D statistics: research and development spend, productivity and AI. Quartz Labs. https://quartzlabs.ai/research-and-development-statistics
MLA: Kahan, Jonathan. “R&D statistics: research and development spend, productivity and AI.” Quartz Labs, 1 Oct. 2026, https://quartzlabs.ai/research-and-development-statistics.
Chicago: Kahan, Jonathan. “R&D statistics: research and development spend, productivity and AI.” Quartz Labs. October 1, 2026. https://quartzlabs.ai/research-and-development-statistics.
You are welcome to reuse any figure or chart from this page with a link back. Each statistic belongs to the organisation named beside it; please cite them too.
Sources
38 sources, in order of first appearance. Where we could only reach a figure through a second-hand page, the entry says “via”.
- NSF National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Science and Engineering Indicators 2024: Research and Development: U.S. Trends and International Comparisons (NSB-2024-6), Figure RD-8, 2021. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20246/figure/RD-8
- EU Joint Research Centre, 2024 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard (JRC press release, 18 Dec 2024), 2023. https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/eu-companies-lead-global-rd-investment-growth-breaking-decade-long-trend-2024-12-18_en
- Information Technology and Innovation Foundation , citing OECD (via itif.org), R&D Investment Slowing in OECD Countries (3 Nov 2025), 2023. https://itif.org/publications/2025/11/03/rd-investment-slowing-in-oecd-countries/
- NSF National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Business R&D Performance in the United States Nears $700 Billion in 2022 (NSF 24-334), 2022. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf24334
- Strategy&, 2018 Global Innovation 1000 study — fact pack, 2018. https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/gx/en/insights/innovation1000/2018-global-innovation-1000-fact-pack.pdf
- Nicholas Bloom, Charles I. Jones, John Van Reenen, Michael Webb, Are Ideas Getting Harder to Find? (NBER Working Paper 23782), 2017. https://www.nber.org/papers/w23782.pdf
- McKinsey & Company (via mckinsey.com), The next innovation revolution—powered by AI (20 Jun 2025), 2025. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-next-innovation-revolution-powered-by-ai
- McKinsey & Company, Investing in innovation: Three ways to do more with less (McKinsey innovation survey, Oct 2024 fieldwork), 2024. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/investing-in-innovation-three-ways-to-do-more-with-less
- NSF National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey 2022, NSF 24-335 data tables, Table 2, 2022. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf24335/assets/data-tables/tables/nsf24335-tab002.pdf
- Unilever, Innovation and R&D at Unilever (company website), 2025. https://www.unilever.com/our-company/innovation-and-rd-at-unilever/
- Marketing Magazine (via marketingmag.com.au), P&G sets sights on innovation to create new categories (22 Nov 2012), 2012. https://www.marketingmag.com.au/news/pg-sets-sights-on-innovation-to-create-new-categories/
- FoodDrinkEurope, Data & Trends of the EU Food and Drink Industry 2024, 2021. https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/system/files/2025-05/FoodDrinkEurope-Data-Trends-2024.pdf
- FoodNavigator (via foodnavigator.com), EU food R&D spend behind competitors (11 Apr 2007), 2004. https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2007/04/11/eu-food-r-d-spend-behind-competitors/
- USDA Economic Research Service, Research Investments and Market Structure in the Food Processing, Agricultural Input, and Biofuel Industries Worldwide (EIB-90), Dec 2011, 2007. https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/291936/files/11359_eib90_1_.pdf
- USDA Economic Research Service, Chart of Note: Private sector R&D in food and agriculture rose sharply as public sector funding declined (14 Nov 2016), 2013. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/80857
- The Good Food Institute, Global policy: key findings, 2025. https://gfi.org/globalpolicy
- ESM Magazine (via esmmagazine.com), Nestlé Streamlines R&D Operations To Speed Up Product Innovation (24 May 2018), 2017. https://www.esmmagazine.com/a-brands/nestle-streamlines-rd-operations-speed-product-innovation-60121
- General Mills, General Mills five-year financial tables (fiscal 2022–2026), 2026. https://s29.q4cdn.com/993087495/files/doc_downloads/2026/09/5_year_Tables_F26-VFinal.pdf
- Consumer Goods Technology (via consumergoods.com), Mars to Scale Snacking Innovation With New Global R&D Hub (18 Jan 2024), 2024. https://consumergoods.com/mars-scale-snacking-innovation-new-global-rd-hub
- DairyReporter (via dairyreporter.com), Inside Danone's new R&I centre (9 Feb 2023), 2023. https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2023/02/09/putting-science-and-technology-back-at-the-centre-of-innovation-inside-danone-s-new-r-i-centre
- ICEX-Invest in Spain (via investinspain.org), Danone to strengthen Madrid research, innovation and excellence hub (20 May 2026), 2026. https://www.investinspain.org/en/news/2026/danone
- TraceGains (via bakingbusiness.com), 2025 New Product Development Report, via Baking Business, 2025. https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/64543-study-highlights-shifting-views-on-ai
- TraceGains (via supermarketperimeter.com), TraceGains studies long-term expectations for AI in the food industry, 2025. https://www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/13078-tracegains-studies-long-term-expectations-for-ai-in-the-food-industry
- TraceGains, New Research Reveals Increase in NPD and Innovation for Food Brands (2024 R&D and Product Innovation report), 2024. https://prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-research-reveals-increase-in-npd-and-innovation-for-food-brands-despite-outdated-internal-manual-processes-rising-costs-and-ingredient-sourcing-bottlenecks-302098468.html
- TraceGains (via bakingbusiness.com), 2024 R&D and Product Innovation report, via Baking Business, 2024. https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/61165-tracegains-report-finds-uptick-in-product-development-investment
- BCC Research, AI in Food and Beverage to Reach $50.6 Billion by 2030, 2025. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/11/04/3180618/0/en/AI-in-Food-and-Beverage-to-Reach-50-6-Billion-by-2030.html
- Institute of Food Technologists (via foodingredientsfirst.com), IFT 2026 workforce report, via Food Ingredients First (13 Jul 2026), 2026. https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/ift-food-science-workforce-report-salaries-2026.html
- Elsevier (via chemengonline.com), Corporate researchers embrace artificial intelligence, but concerns remain (2024 Elsevier Attitudes on AI report), 2024. https://chemengonline.com/corporate-researchers-embrace-artificial-intelligence-but-concerns-remain-new-survey-suggests
- Elsevier, Researcher of the Future – a Confidence in Research 2025 Report (industry), 2025. https://www.elsevier.com/insights/confidence-in-research/researcher-of-the-future/industry
- Aras, Aras Future of PLM / PLM & Digital Engineering Survey 2025, 2025. https://www.cimdata.com/images/PLMRoadMap/Aras_Future_of_PLM_Survey_2025.pdf
- Aras (via digitalengineering247.com), Global Survey Finds Edge in AI Adoption and Compliance, 2025. https://www.digitalengineering247.com/article/global-survey-finds-edge-in-ai-adoption-and-compliance
- CIMdata, CIMdata Publishes PLM Industry Analysis Report, 2025. https://www.cimdata.com/en/news/item/28882-cimdata-publishes-plm-industry-analysis-report
- MarketsandMarkets, Product Lifecycle Management Market Size to Reach USD 58.52 Billion by 2031, 2026. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/blog/ICT/product-lifecycle-management-market
- Grand View Research, Product Lifecycle Management Market To Reach $93.12 Billion By 2033, 2026. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-product-lifecycle-management-market
- Grand View Research, Laboratory Information Management System Market Worth $3.5 Billion By 2030, 2023. https://prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/laboratory-information-management-system-market-worth-3-5-billion-by-2030-grand-view-research-inc-301752893.html
- MarketsandMarkets, Laboratory Information Management System Market worth US$5.19 billion by 2030 with 12.5% CAGR, 2025. https://www.barchart.com/story/news/33251914/laboratory-information-management-system-market-worth-us5-19-billion-by-2030-with-12-5-cagr-marketsandmarkets
- MarketsandMarkets, Electronic Lab Notebook Market press release, 2025. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/electronic-lab-notebook.asp
- Global Insight Services, Smart Food Formulation Software Market Analysis (via GII listing), 2026. https://www.gii.tw/report/gis2060287-smart-food-formulation-software-market-analysis.html
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82% of food R&D runs on spreadsheets. It does not have to.
The BOX gives food, beverage and consumer-goods R&D teams one system from signal to stage gate, with your formulation constraints built in before the first idea.