Clusters/networks promote food innovations

Innovations are necessary for growth and competitiveness, but few are taking place in the food industry. Clusters and networks in regions/countries are seen as one way of increasing the chances to compete, based on Porter’s theories in 1990. Before that some articles existed about agglomeration, clustering of industries etc. but not many examples in the food industry seem to have been studied. This paper describes the major innovations and changes since 1945 in the food sector, based on open-ended interviews with experts in the field, and the society is analysed in line with the factors proposed by Porter in his “diamond”. Frozen food was seen as the really new innovation on the Swedish market and the paper describes how this new technology was introduced and gained acceptance. A network of individuals and organisations assembled around the Frozen Food Institute, backed by the government, and worked on creating and getting the information across to everyone in the supply chain. A cluster of food producers and supporting industries formed spontaneously in the south of Sweden and existed until the technology became a commodity. In the terms of current literature the cluster was a “bottom–up” initiative, with several entrepreneurs involved. The chances for radical or new food innovations are discussed, but they are going to require other actors and to overcome the generally negative attitude today towards industry and the food industry in particular.