Food Industry 4.0 and The Challenges of Food Safety in Italy in Covid-19 Pandemic Era

The food industry has been hit by the fourth revolution turning it towards digital transformation. Digital technologies are used for production, control and distribution of food with the aim to maintain food industry productive, sustainable and competitive and their implementation are supported by the food legislation. Italy, because of its long tradition in this sector has become one of the international reference points for Food-Tech research and development. However, Italian food industry is facing some obstacles in this digital renewal, among these, the lack of specific skills and specific information. The recent pandemic from Covid-19 has forced the world towards digital technologies giving a strong impulse to this sector. In this context, it is confirmed that digital transformation together with smart technologies are already the greatest challenges for the food industry.