Explaining Historic Food Price Increases: Food Products Become Most-Sourced Category on Xometry’s Thomasnet.com

NEW YORK, April 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Food products now rank as the most-sourced category on Xometry’s Thomasnet.com, besting frequently searched terms such as steel, lumber, medical equipment and packaging in the aeronautics, automotive and housing/construction categories. The “Thomas Industrial Sourcing & Supply Chain Activity Snapshot” identifies the top sourced products and services sourced by Thomas’ 1.4 million North American registered users each quarter. 

In Q1 2022, food products captured the top spot for all sourced products, the result of ongoing supply chain disruptions, record inflation and now international conflict. Machining captured the top spot for sourced services. Thomas is a division of Xometry, the AI-driven digital marketplace that connects enterprise buyers with manufacturers globally.

Food products encompass: food bags, for which sourcing is up 1,364% month-over-month (March over February); general foodservice packaging, which is up 663% month-over-month; machinery, up 360% month-over-month, and food processing equipment, up 178%. In fact, the data shows a 29% difference in search volume between food products and steel, the #2 sourced product on Thomasnet.com.