Editorial

Euro, real economy and Italian food

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While Europe discusses the weaknesses of the Euro-zone and how to avoid its economic breakdown, the need to focus on real economy is widely recognized, awarding work and production, rather than on financial economy exclusively based on speculative transactions. In such a scenario, great advantage would be gained by the primary and secondary sectors, before the advanced tertiary sector. Work and production would generally benefit from an immediate revival, and everything would be restored. In fact, when considering the match “production sectors (primary and secondary) – service sector (tertiary)”, it is known that the latter, including finance, must serve the work-generated economy. Reversing such a match means upsetting logics and braking a balanced development, based on a fair relationship between goods production and service delivery. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to avoid deep crises, which would affect the strongest countries, as well. A fair relationship among sectors would, instead, allow small and medium European companies to gain greater benefits. However, even big companies – if correctly managed from an entrepreneurial viewpoint – would carry the European economy towards the world’s top positions which it deserves, as for its history and traditions. In particular, it would allow Italian Food to fully express its potentials which are at present squeezed between the economic crisis on the one hand and  imitations/counterfeiting activities on the other. To tell the truth, Italian Food SMBs are, however, the least affected by this general crisis, and they account for the vast majority. Just think that about 80% of Italian Food Companies employ less than 9 employees, and only 8% of them employ over 20 employees. A great number of such productive companies operate in the so-called niche markets and focus their attention on international markets – not only the European ones. In fact, their products represent the advanced segment of Italian Food; it is not rare to find small family-run companies with few work units delivering, all over Europe, crackers unique for their quality and specialty. Perhaps with a natural lemon taste, the result of a refined technology conceived in cooperation with some Food Technologies students from Italian Universities. As far as this continues, crisis or not, the Made-in-Italy production will guarantee quality food and unique specialties, typical of the Mediterranean territory, a real world heritage. If the financial sector succeeds in regaining its old role and wisely puts itself at the service of real economy, we will have no need to worry. At least we can be  sure that, anywhere in Europe, we will always find lemon tasting crackers.