Internationalization of food system:The case of canning industry

Abstract

The food industry is the second largest manufacturing sector in Italy, not only for economic, but also for the role played in the social, environmental and cultural development of the country. Total employment offered by this sector is around 2.5 million workers. These companies are mostly family-run, which often give rise to aggregations industrial highly competitive in the international arena thanks to factors such as originality, flexibility, speed and attention to detail. A particularly important role is played by the canning sector, which allows you to eat all year round vegetables collection only in a certain season. Italy is the third largest producer of tomatoes in the world and the collection of tomatoes destined for canning industrial takes place once a year, in the summer months. The 'La Doria SpA Group' is the first Italian producer of peeled and chopped tomatoes and legumes preserved and the second largest producer of juices and fruit drinks. This article aims to analyze the process of growth and internationalization of the food processing sector, analyzing the expansion of this company on the basis of data from field surveys, with attention to the role of Information and Communications Technology. As we’ll see the 'La Doria Spa Group', despite its size, has established itself successfully in the international context, thanks to export orientation, working relationships and acquiosition policy.