291305.P064-099.CRX:Excellence
9/3/09
10:30 AM
Page 84
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he only way to learn how to build excellent machinery for the production of goods is through producing the goods themselves. This rule holds true for all production sectors, but it is especially true in the food industry. Behind this lies the reason for the excellence of Italian machinery for the production and preparation of foods. No other country comes close to offering such a wide variety of food products, and it is indeed in Italy’s renowned food-producing districts that some of the most advanced technologies exist for production, processing, preserving, and packaging food products. A prime example is Food Valley, located in Parma, home to some of Italy’s most famous foods, which include Parma ham (prosciutto di Parma) and Parmigiano-Reggiano, the original parmesan cheese. Food Valley’s technological excellence is focused on machinery for processing vegetables such as tomato sauce, a key ingredient in Italian cuisine. “Parma’s food processing machinery industry started with the sugar industry at the beginning of the 20th century and then evolved into the tomato processing sector,” explains Roberto Masini, professor at the State University of Parma. “Today, the district is the world leader in this sector and among the top in others as well, like aseptic food packaging.” Over the years, Parma’s Food Valley has become a center of worldwide attention. Italian company Rossi & Catelli S.p.A. plays a key role in the district, but there also are many multinationals from the Swedish Tetrapak to the American Food Machinery Corp.,
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