We’ve compiled a range of key data sources that can help food industry professionals stay ahead of market trends, manage import/export risks, and optimize their operations:
- U.S. Census Bureau: Provides data on U.S. imports and exports through platforms like USA Trade Online, which allows users to create custom trade reports.
- World Trade Organization (WTO): Offers comprehensive trade statistics through its Stats Portal and Dashboard, including both merchandise and services trade data, sourced from various global entities.
- United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade): One of the most extensive sources for international trade data, covering detailed commodity trade statistics from numerous countries.
- World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS): Integrates data from UN Comtrade, UNCTAD, and WTO, allowing for detailed analysis of trade, tariffs, and non-tariff measures.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF): Through its Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS), it provides bilateral trade data focusing on merchandise exports and imports.
Commercial and Research Platforms:
- Trade Data Monitor: Specializes in delivering accurate, verified trade statistics from over 120 countries, offering insights for various sectors.
- S&P Global’s Maritime Global Trade Atlas: Provides detailed bilateral trade data for commodities at a very specific level, covering monthly and annual data.
- Datarade: Aggregates information from multiple vendors, offering datasets on trading, including historical and real-time data from stock exchanges.
Other Resources:
- Harvard’s Atlas of Economic Complexity: An interactive tool for visualizing global trade flows, offering insights into the complexity of economies based on their trade patterns.
- CEPII’s BACI Database: Provides disaggregated data on bilateral trade flows, constructed from UN Comtrade data, enhancing its coverage and detail.
- Posts on X: Various users and organizations share updates on trade data releases, like UN Comtrade updates, which can provide real-time insights into changes in trade statistics.
These sources vary in terms of data access (some are free, while others require subscriptions), the granularity of data, and the specific focus (e.g., merchandise vs. services, bilateral vs. multilateral). For anyone working with trade data, it’s beneficial to cross-reference multiple sources to get a comprehensive view of trade activities.