Food Processing and Distribution

Food Processing and Food Distribution represent two separate sectors of the food system. They are currently combined into one page on this dashboard but may be split apart in the future as more data are gathered for these sectors.

Food Processing

Food processing focuses on what happens to food from when it is ready for harvest to when it reaches our plates, including how food is moved and processed. Processing refers to how raw agricultural products—including crops and animals—are made edible through activities such as cleaning, cooking, freezing, and canning. Every food goes through some kind of processing and food can be processed through a variety of facilities, including processing facilities, manufacturers, and commercial kitchens. How and where foods are processed can impact the cost of those foods when they are sold to distributors and consumers. As food processing facilities are shut down or consolidated, food must be transported for processing over longer distances, causing increases in transportation costs. Lack of processing facilities can also present a bottleneck for local producers, further exacerbating supply chain issues.

Questions to Consider

  • Where are the food processing centers in Central Texas?

  • What is their capacity?

  • How does a lack of processing centers impact supply and price of food?

  • What are the most effective ways to increase processing capacity across a region?

  • How can we strengthen increased economic development, workforce development, and worker ownership in the food processing sector?

Food Distribution

Once food is processed, it must then be distributed. Food distributors work to get food from those who produce it to those who sell it. Distributors pick up food from processers and farmers and then either store it temporarily or transport it immediately to retail stores or wholesale buyers. Food distributors can transport food more locally or over very long distances. The types of foods that can be grown in a community impact how far food will be distributed.

There are four main types of food distributors:

  • Broadline: Transport a large variety of food in large quantities, often used by retail

  • Specialty: Handle special items or special food requirements

  • Redistributor: Purchase from manufacturers and distribute to smaller distributors

  • Cash and carry: Warehouses that food vendors can visit in order to purchase food

Questions to Consider

  • Where are the food distribution centers in Central Texas?

  • How does a lack of distribution centers impact supply and price of food?

  • How does what can be grown in Central Texas impact food distribution?

  • How does the amount of farmland in Central Texas impact food distribution?

  • What is the impact of direct-to-consumer distribution?

  • What resources are needed (e.g., food hubs, etc.) to support networks of local food packaging and distribution?

  • How can we strengthen increased economic development, workforce development, and worker ownership in the food distribution sector?

Unfortunately, not much data is currently available to highlight food distribution in Central Texas. Until more data becomes available, explore how food flows between counties—both inbound and outbound—across Central Texas using this map: https://foodflows.org

A Note on the Central Texas Food Bank Wholesale Food Club

Central Texas Food Bank also operates as a distributor. The Food Bank has a 135,000-square-foot facility in Austin, Texas. The warehouse can hold over 7,000 pallets of food, includes over 35,000 square feet of cooler and freezer space, and has 15 loading docks. This allows Central Texas Food Bank to be the distribution center for a network of over 240 food pantries and soup kitchens across its 21-county service area.

Over the years, Central Texas Food Bank has shifted its inventory away from highly processed foods to fresh foods that nourish the community and support healthy outcomes. However, from time to time, the Food Bank’s network may need to access options that are not available through its inventory. To that end, Central Texas Food Bank recently launched its Wholesale Food Club. The Wholesale Food Club allows the Food Bank’s network to tap into the Food Bank’s food industry relationships and buying power to solicit the best possible wholesale rates on products for pantries and soup kitchens to purchase at cost through the Food Bank.

List of Dashboards

Continue scrolling to view the dashboards linked below or click on a link to visit a specific part of this page.

Facility Locations and Sales

The following dashboard shows the number of facilities by type of product processed or distributed in Central Texas, as well as sales information from the facilities. Distribution businesses like wholesalers are included, but this is likely not a comprehensive list of all enterprises involved in distribution.

Highlights: Facilities that process meat and non-alcoholic beverages (mostly soft drinks) account for 74% of sales across all categories. Meat, non-alcoholic beverages, and snack foods account for nearly two-thirds of all processing businesses. Only two businesses process produce. McLennan County has the highest total sales, followed by Travis County, accounting for 81% of the region’s processing sales.

In terms of distribution, “other” distribution types (includes general food service), non-alcoholic beverages, and dairy have the highest sales. Nearly half of the region’s distribution businesses are located in Travis County. Tied with non-alcoholic beverages, the highest number of distribution businesses is in the produce category, indicating an opportunity to better connect processing of local produce with existing produce distribution channels.

Note that there are no processing or distribution businesses in Coryell or Limestone counties.

To toggle between location data and sales data, click on the "Sales" or "Number of Businesses" boxes. To filter by county, click on the county name in the list at right.

Data Sources:

Refreshed: Annually. Dashboard last updated July 2024.

Food Processing and Distribution Map

The map below shows which types of food processing and distribution facilities currently exist in Central Texas and categorizes them by the type of product processed or distributed. Distribution businesses like wholesalers are included, but this is likely not a comprehensive list of all enterprises involved in distribution.

Highlights: Travis County has the highest number and greatest variety of facilities, followed by McLennan County. Note that there are no processing or distribution businesses in Coryell or Limestone counties.

Toggle between processing and distribution maps using the buttons below the map. Filter by county using the list at right.

Data Sources:

Refreshed: Annually. Dashboard last updated August 2024.

Food Processing and Distribution Workforce

Understanding the food processing and distribution workforce can aid in economic development, workforce development, and worker ownership in the food processing sector. There are opportunities to collect data on the number of K-12 schools offering food system career-related curricula in Central Texas, as well as the number of students enrolled in related license apprenticeships, certificates, or stackable credential programs.

The following dashboard shows the workforce in the food processing and distribution industry, including trucking/distribution, farm labor, manufacturing, processing, retail, and food service.

Highlights: With few exceptions (Lee, Limestone, McLennan, and Mills counties), “Food Service” has the largest number of workers in every county, followed by “Manufacturing,” “Transportation,” and then “Agriculture.” Employment in these sectors has recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

To filter by county, click on the county in the table below the chart.

Data Source: US Census Bureau: County Business Patterns (CBP), 2019-2022

Refreshed: Annually. Dashboard last updated October 2024.

Value-Added Food Producers and Food Production Sales

The ability to preserve and extend the freshness of food helps ensure its availability year-round. Some examples of value-added processing include using fruits to make jam, turning tomatoes into salsa or other sauces, or pickling cucumbers and other vegetables. The following dashboard highlights the number of value-added food producers and their food production sales.

Highlights: There are currently 432 value-added producers in Central Texas—nearly two-thirds more than the number reported in 2017—and sales increased more than 500%. McLennan and Gillespie counties have the most producers, while Limestone and Mills have the fewest. Hays and McLennan counties accounted for more than one-third of the jump in number of producers.

Sales volume paints a more nuanced picture across the region. Most counties experienced an increase in sales, but four showed a decrease, including Fayette, Freestone, and Hays, which each dropped by more than half; and McLennan, which showed a slight decrease from 2017 to 2022. This is notable given that Hays dramatically increased in number of producers and, in 2017, had higher sales than all other counties but now appears to have more small-scale producers.

Use the filter at right to filter by county.

Data Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2017 and 2022 Census of Agriculture

Refreshed: Every 5 years. Dashboard last updated June 2024.

Food Processing and Distribution Reports and Articles