Important food industry hub

From starter to sweet! You probably eat foods produced in Dunkirk without knowing: cocoa butter, chocolate bars and bonbons, sauces and oils, fish and seafood, aerated and soft drinks, stone-baked bread, pastries and more. The food industry giants based here include Barry Callebaut, Cémoi, Coca-Cola Production, Lesieur, Charton, Goëland Marée, Grands Moulins de Paris, Euralis and many others.

The Flanders-Dunkirk region is characterised by the predominance of field crops (wheat, beetroot, potatoes and so on), as well as horticulture and market gardening. Note that the production value per hectare is almost twice that of the national average. Flax is another specifically local crop. With 1,160 hectares dedicated to textile flax, the region is one of foremost in France. Comprising a seed producer, seven scutching companies, a flax spinning mill, a trading firm and a design office, the linen industry now employs 240 people around Dunkirk. Laboratories and competitive clusters in the region are working to develop new outlets.