US food and drinks manufacturers will increasingly look to M&A to grow their business, a study published by KPMG said today (26 July).

“Industry executives are telling us that they will step up merger and acquisition activity and that they have the cash to do so,” said Patrick Dolan, national line of business leader for consumer markets at KPMG.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

“They will drive revenue, while dealing with pricing pressures, by focusing on retaining and adding new customers.”

Some 62% of executives surveyed said their businesses had “significant cash on hand” for acqusitions or expansion.

In the survey, 67% said it was likely their company would be involved in a merger or acquisition – as a buyer or seller – in the next two years.

Over half – 58% – said their companies would increase spending on capital projects in the next year. Half of those respondents predicted a hike of 6% or more in spending on acquistions, new products or services, facility expansion and IT.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

However, KPMG said the executives recognised there were hurdles to growth in the year ahead, with 54% pointing to “pricing pressures” as their “most significant growth barrier”. Some 40% cited volatile commodity prices.

The survey was conducted in June with 100 senior executives in the US food and drink sector.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact