Food processing had become a major industry in Spain, and by 1985 this activity employed 450,000 workers in about 70,000 firms. These enterprises were dominated by about 150 large companies, many of which belonged to foreign multinational corporations. Capital expenditures by all food processing companies amoÍÍÍÍunted to US$580 million in 1985, and the sector's productive value was about US$20 billion in the same year. Changes in the nation's food consumption patterns and increased tourism substantially contributed to the expansion of the food processing industry.

Data as of December 1988