Community Food Services Market Report 2025

This Community Food Services market report provides a comprehensive analysis of the market’s characteristics, size, and growth, including segmentation, regional and country-level breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends, and strategies. It also tracks historical and forecasted market growth across various geographies.

The community food services market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $340.97 billion in 2024 to $362.52 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to food insecurity, donor support, hunger relief initiatives, government assistance.

The community food services market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $456.59 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to economic disparities, nutrition and health education, digital engagement and donor platforms, mobile food services. Major trends in the forecast period include gleaning and food recovery, community gardens and urban agriculture, youth and adolescent nutrition, sustainable food sourcing, technology for food access.

The increasing prevalence of crowdfunding is poised to drive demand for the community food services market. Crowdfunding involves raising capital from individual investors, customers, and the general public through crowdfunding and social media platforms. For example, JustGiving, a UK-based online fundraising platform, successfully raised approximately $7,705.8 to provide emergency food for vulnerable, elderly, and low-income individuals during the COVID-19 crisis. This surge in crowdfunding has resulted in greater support for food aid and social services within the industry, enabling organizations to meet the rising demand for food services. Consequently, the growth of crowdfunding is expected to serve as a significant catalyst for the expansion of the community food services market.

The increasing emphasis on consuming nutritious foods is anticipated to propel the growth of the community food service market. Nutritious foods refer to food items that provide essential nutrients, such as vitamins, required for the proper functioning of the human body. Community food services play a pivotal role in delivering nutritious foods by offering well-balanced and health-promoting meals that cater to the nutritional needs of the community, thereby promoting better health and overall well-being. As an illustration, a 2022 survey report by the US-based nonprofit organization, the International Food Information Council, revealed that 52% of Americans reported following a specific diet or eating pattern, marking a significant increase from the previous year. Additionally, according to reports published by Food Insight, another US-based nonprofit organization, in July 2022, 52% of participants in a food and health survey adopted specific diets or eating patterns, up from 39% in 2021. Prominent choices included clean eating (16%), mindful eating (14%), and calorie counting (13%). Hence, the evolving consumer preferences towards health-conscious lifestyles are driving the growth of the community food services market.

An emerging trend in the community food services market is the introduction of various programs designed to address the nutritional needs of communities. For instance, the Summer Food Service Program, operating during the summer months when schools are not in session, provides free meals to children. This program also incorporates a permanent, non-congregate meal service option for eligible rural communities, reducing food insecurity among children and ensuring access to nutritious meals during the summer months.

Major companies operating in the community food services market are prioritizing the launch of food programs, such as Feds Feed Families 2023, aimed at contributing food and support for various purposes. 'Feds Feed Families' is an annual federal government-wide food drive in the United States, typically conducted during the summer months. In June 2023, the US-based government organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), introduced the Feds Feed Families 2023 program, encouraging federal employees to make in-kind contributions, including food, services, and time, to food banks and pantries of their choice. This initiative was launched to assist food banks in meeting the increased demand for food during the summer break when donations tend to decrease, and families with children lack access to school meal programs.

In 2022, Grubhub collaborated with over 34 nonprofit organizations to drive meaningful change in communities throughout the country. Grubhub expanded its efforts to support the direct distribution of ready-to-eat meals and groceries to individuals and families in need. As a result, the program delivered over 545,000 meals, 2.8 million pounds of food, and expanded the geographic reach of food recovery initiatives supported by Grubhub.

Community food services represent a collective initiative within a community aimed at preparing and providing food to those in need, particularly the impoverished and hungry, with the goal of enhancing the social welfare of the community. This collaborative effort not only addresses food insecurity but also promotes relaxation, interaction, and conversation among community members, as sharing a meal provides a common topic for discussion.

The main types of products and services within the domain of community food services include soup kitchens and on-site meal provision, food pantry services, food collection and distribution services, as well as various other support services. A food pantry serves as a distribution center that supplies food to families in need. Different types of food service systems are employed, including conventional food service systems, centralized food service systems, ready-prepared food service systems, and assembly-serve food service systems. These systems find application in both commercial and non-commercial sectors.

The community food services market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides community food services market statistics, including community food services industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a community food services market share, detailed community food services market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the community food services industry. This community food services market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

Major companies operating in the community food services market include Feeding America, City Harvest, Equal Heart, Volunteers Of American Co., A.D. Food Service, Gratzi Catering, CRS Employment Services, Feedmore Western New York, GIICA LLC, Chata Technologies Inc., Second Harvest Food Bank Of Greater New Orleans & Acadiana, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Good Fortune Restaurant, The Meals on Wheels Association of America, Meals on Wheels Ministry, The Dohmen Company Foundation, The Salvation Army International Trust, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, Sanctuary Management Ltd., World Food Programme, Food Finders Food Bank, Common Ground, The Meals on Wheels Association of America, CRS Employment Services, A.D. Food Service, Feedmore Western New York.

Western Europe was the largest region in the community food services market in 2024. Asia-Pacific was the second-largest region in the community food services market. The regions covered in the community food services market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the community food services market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Canada.

The community food services market consists of revenues earned by entities by community meals, food banks, food pantries, meal delivery programs, mobile soup kitchens. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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