# Food and feed additives: Movement

Why amino acids and vitamins ship out of China

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/movement/

What this tab covers How it moves between countries: share of output traded, physical form and transport, the largest exporters and importers, main routes, India's trade, and handling rules in transit.

#### Trade in 2024 UN Comtrade, HS 210690
 World exports $60.2 bn 137 reporting exporters · about 9.73 m t Largest exporter United States 10.8% of world exports Largest importer United States 11.8% of world imports India imports $78.0 m
exports $760.7 m #87 importer · #23 exporter

#### Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
 Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 210690: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.

#### HS 210690: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **United States** | 10.8% | $6.47 bn | 674k |
| **Singapore** | 9.9% | $5.98 bn | 269k |
| **Germany** | 9.8% | $5.89 bn | 803k |
| **Netherlands** | 7.1% | $4.26 bn | 789k |
| **China** | 6.1% | $3.64 bn | 875k |
| **Italy** | 3.9% | $2.33 bn | 346k |
| **France** | 3.6% | $2.17 bn | 355k |
| **Poland** | 3.4% | $2.07 bn | 310k |

#### HS 210690: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **United States** | 11.8% | $6.94 bn | 898k |
| **China** | 10.7% | $6.29 bn | 335k |
| **Germany** | 5% | $2.96 bn | 530k |
| **United Kingdom** | 3.6% | $2.08 bn | – |
| **Netherlands** | 3.5% | $2.07 bn | 432k |
| **South Korea** | 3.5% | $2.07 bn | 132k |
| **Canada** | 3.5% | $2.06 bn | 293k |
| **France** | 2.8% | $1.66 bn | 279k |

 UN Comtrade 2024, reported by each country (exports by exporters, imports by importers), all partners. Some countries (for example Russia and Iran) do not report, so their shares are missing. HS codes can be broader than the tile: check the code before reading a share as the whole market.

#### How it moves

| Measure | Figure |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Share traded** | high for amino acids, vitamins, sweeteners and preservatives (concentrated in China); lower for starch and blends made near customers; no published share |  |  |
| **How it moves** | Powders and granules in bags and big bags by container; liquids (lecithin, liquid methionine) in ISO tanks and drums. |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | China to the world for amino acids, vitamins and sweeteners; Europe and the US for enzymes and specialty blends; South America and the US for soy-based ingredients. |  |  |
| **India** | . India imports most methionine, lysine and vitamins (indicative). HS 210690: India imported $78 million (0.1% of world imports, rank 87) and exported $761 million (1.3% of world exports, rank 23) (UN Comtrade 2024). |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | Most products are not dangerous goods. Sodium nitrite is UN1500 (class 5.1, toxic). Some powders pose dust explosion risk. |  |  |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/trading/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/food_additives/links/index.md)