With about 636,634 employees in 5,991 companies the German food and drink industry belongs to the four biggest industries in Germany. It makes an important contribution to welfare, growth and employment and represents a continuously stable and resistant sector of the economy. Germany is also the largest food and drink producer in the EU in terms of sales. Acknowledging the fact that the European food and drink industry is the single largest manufacturing sector in terms of turnover and employment in the EU and the second leading in terms of value added and number of companies underpins the role of the German food and drink industry as a pillar of the economy.