Italy has always been known for its culinary specialities and its cuisine that, together with the beautiful natural surroundings and a rich historical past, constitute one of the pillars of national tourist, not simply for its wine and food. After the “pizza, spaghetti and mandolin” period – annoying but necessary so that the country could resuscitate from its ashes in the first half of the last century – today the Italian food sector has gained international recognition. At the end of last year the increasing export of Italian products produced a turnover of more than 31 billion Euros. The secret of this continuous growth can be found mainly in the right balance between culture, tradition and technology within the Italian food industry. High-quality raw materials and tradition in the art of preparing food could not compete on their own in the global market, where lifestyle choices and habits, including eating habits, keep interchanging and tend to merge between themselves – confusing even their own identity. In this context, technology becomes the third leg of this chain in order to give stability to the system itself. As the case may be, food technology machinery and equipment built by Italian companies, designed for the development of procedures and technologies, are known and appreciated around the world with increasing number of sales. Last year during the first six months, the growth rate of exports was above 15%. The introduction of technology in the modern food industry sector represents a turning point for companies that, through the innovation of new procedures, can now produce large-scale food production that would otherwise be confined to artisan level. In fact, nowadays thanks to new technologies, it’s possible to realize large-scale quality productions of many different food products, such as chocolate, biscuits, pizza, pasta and conserves, in particular. The technology aspect is not only fundamental in countries with large-scale industries, but also essential in terms of growth in developing countries. Here, in fact, it’s not possible to pass on our food habits but it’s necessary to hand over our technical knowledge to value their food under different aspects: first of all the aspect of nutrition and security. Many local and traditional products, with the study and development of new technologies, or simply with the adaptation of the existing technologies, could be produced at industrial level with undeniable advantages for local communities that could access safe and easy to preserve food. This could also represent a source of income through the export of the food produced. The Italian manufacturers of food technology machinery and equipment can therefore play a key role, especially thanks to their knowledge and past experience – such as the transformation of the pizza country in one of the main world powers in the modern food industry sector, with respect for culture and traditions.
by Dante Marco De Faveri
