Book Review - Costato L. et Albisinni F. (eds.), "European Food Law" Padua: Cedam, 2012, pp. XIV-506

Abstract

The Italian food sector: 150 billion euros turnover in 2012 alone, with an estimated export component of 32 billion euros and a positive trade balance over 6 billion euro, in particular for branded food products. This is one of the most important Italian economic sectors together with fashion and design, which through the food serves as “Made in Italy” ambassador in the world, and as messenger of culture, of traditions, of history, of memories and of local sensations, with an integrated system approach that can transform and process over 72% of domestic raw agricultural materials and, therefore, convey and advertise the entire Territory to an international level.
In the general economic agribusiness category and, in particular, its subsystem known as ‘food processing’, the food product placed on the market is the result of a complex supply chain that comprises, downstream of the operations directed to the provision of goods and services for agricultural enterprises (so known as ‘farm supplies aggregate’), both the set of cultivation and breeding (‘farming aggregate’) business activities and the processing and marketing of agricultural goods, as well as the distribution of such goods to the final consumer (‘processing and distribution aggregate’). Consequently, the food product is capable of conveying, of communicating such integrated system, becoming a promoter of an economic model of territorial development both directly and indirectly, where the food itself represents the concrete result and where the legal rules are able to influence and amplify directly the related development and enhancement of national economic data...