The Emilia-Romagna agri-food system encompasses a unique heritage made of tradition and excellent quality, characterized by an approach strongly oriented towards research and innovation, environmental sustainability and food safety.
Main specializations
Specializations: regional export on the national total (Istat Coeweb, 2021):
- 39% of Meat and meat-based products
- 27% of Agricultural machinery
- 24% of Manufacture of dairy products
Quality and culinary treasures
The quality of food products is an essential aim of regional policies.
- The 44 regional PDO and PGI food products represent the most important production value of Italian registrations (about 40% of the national total) with 6,190 regional companies involved.
- The main PDOs and PGIs in terms of value are produced here: Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, Prosciutto di Parma DOP, Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP, Mortadella Bologna IGP and Grana Padano DOP.
400 out of 5,000 national denominations of traditional agri-food products come from Emilia-Romagna
Some important actors:
- Enoteca Regionale Emilia-Romagna - association created by regional law for the promotion of wine (also PDO/PGI) in Italy and abroad.
- Specific educational institutions, including: ALMA International School of Italian Cuisine in Colorno; Chef to Chef; Casa Artusi.
- Fico, the Italian Food Theme Park, in Bologna
Top companies
Innovation ecosystem
The regional production system is strongly oriented towards Industry 4.0, supported by the innovation ecosystem that is able to create collaborations and synergies between knowledge system and business. Here are some key actors:
Clust-ER Agri-food
Clust-ER Associations are communities of public and private bodies (research centers, companies, training institutes) created to support the competitiveness of the most important production systems in Emilia-Romagna.
Regional High Technology Network
Discover the High Technology Network industrial research offering in ‘Agri-food’
| Agri-food | Results of the Regional smart specialization strategy | ||
|---|---|---|
| 5,296 Funded R&D Projects | 1,250 Million euros of total investment | 629 Million euros of public funds |
Updated December 2021
Main international trade fairs
Key facts
| Agri-food in Emilia-Romagna | ||
|---|---|---|
| Employees 340,081 2021, Source: Infocamere-elab.ART-ER | Local units 109,748 2021, Source: Infocamere-elab.ART-ER | Export 11.2 bln € 2021, Source: Istat - Coeweb |
| Import 7.9 bln € 2021, Source: Istat - Coeweb | Agricultural production value 4.5 bln € 2020 | Fund of the Regional Rural Development Program in the 2014-20 period 1.2 bln € |
| Organic farming of the regional Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) 16% | ||
Food safety
- Food Safety is a core area of public health policy and is implemented through the surveillance of the origin of food, animal and vegetable products, from farm to fork
- EFSA European Food Safety Authority is located in Parma, in the center of the regional Food Valley
- The Regional Phytosanitary Service works closely with the Central Plant Protection Service and local stakeholders in drafting of specific dossiers (Pest Risk Analysis or PRA) which are legally required to ensure safe access from/to international markets.
Info-sheets "Invest in agri-food in Emilia-Romagna"
