Food Innovation and Market Risk: A Case Study of the Interface Consumer Food Industry

Western society is suffering an increasing risk regarding the food chain for several reasons. Longer geographical distances between producers and consumers, more stakeholders in the supply chain, less capacity of national governments to regulate and protect consumers due to globalisation and the liberalization process, with pressure to innovate and increase competitively.. During the period 2004-06, there is being carried out a research project in Spain, coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Madrid and sponsored by INIA. The goal is to understand the consumer behaviour identifying the attributes of food products and to transmit the results to the food industry entrepreneurs, in order to increase their efficiency in innovation.