France towards Expo 2015: new challenges for the French agri-food industry

Abstract

Expo 2015 is one of the greatest events of this century. Gathering the most important actors of the international economic and political panorama, it represents a real opportunity for governments and people to reflect and act on some of the most serious and demanding issues which affect nowadays society. France is playing a big role in this international stage. Being one of the more 100 actors which will take part actively into this challenging environment, it stands as the representative of important and indispensable values for all human beings. Developing the theme proposed by Expo “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, it gives 4 main personal interpretations under the common assumption of a renewed production and nutrition for all human beings ranging from the technological and more contemporary studies applied to the agri-food industry, to the most controversial issue of the fight against hunger and related illnesses which affect some of the poorest countries in the world. But France tries to go beyond that. Its aim is to reveal and explain the logical and too much neglected implications hidden behind the (under and over) consumption of food, so disregarded in a society more and more dominated by eating disorders phenomena. Every branch in which the French agri-food industries operate represents a small but essential part of a greater project making France one of the biggest markets operating in this particular field. Each of them stands as the starting point for future changes coming along with technological discoveries and an increased environmental awareness. Revealing and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, in a context strictly related to the Expo experience, gives a totally new light to these issues as well as a renewed hope to future generations.