Italy is leading the global market for pasta, has one of the largest GDP values in the EU and is one of EIT-Food’s RIS countries

The Food System at the Heart of its Economy

With a great many regional smart specialization strategies related to the food sector, Italy is becoming one of the European leaders in the agricultural production and processing industry. This together with their high-quality raw materials and their specialization in the manufacture and export of food processing machinery, such as tractors, makes Italy a key EIT-Food member.

Room for Improvement

Due to their geographical diversification, with an industrial north and a less-developed agricultural south, encouraging synergies between these two poles could led to the creation of an even stronger food sector with high rates of innovation and technological progress.

Moreover, Italy is one of the leading countries in the world in the publication of articles on agrifood subjects, which implies a meaningful research potential that can be fostered through EIT education activities.