7. Innovation and networks

A company's ability to innovate is one of the keys to maintaining its competitiveness and, in some cases, its long-term future. The food industry devotes almost 1.3% of its sales to research and development. They are innovative in terms of products, processes, technologies, packaging, marketing, distribution methods and consumer relations.

Several factors can hamper the ability of the food industry to innovate. These include :

• low corporate margins;

• low staffing levels;

• the low attractiveness of the sector;

• the five dimensions conveyed by food products (factors conducive to incremental innovations but limiting disruptive innovations) (figure