European and Italian Pasta Industry: recent trends and firms performance.

The thesis aims to analyse the pasta industry, one of the most significant industries in Italy, both from a historical and industrial point of view, of which it is a world leader. Starting from the purely historical background, we then analyse the characteristics of the product. The world wheat production highlights the main producers, with particular reference to durum wheat, used for pasta production. Therefore, the classification of wheat is analysed both from a scientific and legal point of view in Italy and in the European Union. We have analysed the various production phases that allow the realization of the finished product, examining the various phases individually. The section on the structure of supply and demand aims to provide a complete overview of what the pasta industry is, looking at the histrory of the industry and at the strategic determinants, to establish the strategies that companies today take in this particular sector. The analysis of a sample of companies was compared to the evolution of the most important income indices, highlighting the differences between fresh and dried pasta. The sample itself was then used to evaluate changes in production, productivity and labour force values.