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Abstract
Quality and food safety are issues that attract more and more attention, given the importance of them is recognized by businesses and consumers. Indeed, if on the one hand there has been a considerable increase of the interest of the latter to the quality and safety of the products they purchased and consumed, on the other hand, competing businesses try to work towards the full satisfaction of the needs of its customers. The article in question focuses on three basic concepts: food quality, safety of the same and innovation. Food safety and quality are unquestionable importance, considering the repercussions on the health of people. The last concept, innovation, may be the answer to the needs of the two categories, the consumes and the companies: ensure the highest desirable levels of food safety and quality and contribute decisively to the achievement of the internal efficiency of enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to highlight how companies who decide to focus on quality and safety of its products are able to establish itself successfully in international markets, achieving leading positions and numbers, with the support of innovation. To this end, I will present the case of a famous Italian multinational.
Keywords: quality, food safety, innovation, competitiveness, tradition, evolution.
1. Introduction
Internationalization, daughter of modern times, has brought with it news for the whole economy, and in particular for the primary sector. News that, for companies that operate specifically in the agricultural sector, take the form of multiple challenges. Only through the development of special competitive skills, they can overcome these challenges and position themselves successful in global markets. Currently, the "rapid" movement and consequent acquisition of information from consumers about the products they use, have led to a shift in their focus from "quantity" to "quality" food. Today people display specific needs and require more guarantees than in the past (Ajzen et al., 2007; Boccia, Sarnacchiaro, 2015). This is where comes in the ability of companies to better meet the needs of its customers, ability which in most cases results in the implementation of a strategy based on quality and food safety. Strategy that may prove profitable to say the least, if pursued with the support of innovation (Sarno, Ardeleanu, 2014). For innovation, mind...