FOODIMA - EU Food Industry Dynamics and Methodological Advances

The Food industry is of major importance to the European economy, being one of the largest industries in the EU in terms of value of output, gross value added, employment and exports volume. The increased level of competition has led on one hand, to a continuously increasing concentration in all stages along the supply chain, with a growing number of mergers and acquisitions and on the other, to an increasing pace of innovative technology adoption (use of new technologies, as well as the launch of new products). Within this perspective, for a comprehensive characterization of the current conditions and the future potentials of the EU food industry, certain key issues such as the effects of mergers and acquisitions, technology adoption and the introduction of labeling and other legislative measures on the performance of the Food industry need to be specifically addressed. The main objective of FOODIMA project is to develop a concise set of methodological tools suitable for a systematic economic assessment of the EU food chain. Based on these tools, an evaluation of the structural changes and the economic performance of selected food sectors in representative countries of the enlarged EU is provided, along with a detailed description of the entire European food chain.