For the agribusiness of the future, more investment in agritech, digital and new ingredients
According to Porsche Consulting data, the agriculture 4.0 sector alone has reached by 2025 a turnover of EUR 2.23 billion. The focus of companies is on automation and hi-tech to reduce costs and produce the functional foods demanded by consumers
A sector in transition. The made-in-Italy agri-food industry is evolving according to certain outlined trends. The keys to the future development of the sector will be:functional nutrition, agriculture 4.0, the digitalisation of the supply chain and the development of new-generation ingredients. This is what emerges from the study by Porsche consulting on 'Italy's FoodTech: an ecosystem in transformation'. These are lines of development dictated, on the one hand, by the growing consumer demand for food capable of preserving if not implementing health and physical efficiency and, on the other, by the production world's need to reduce costs and the environmental impact of production.
Functional Nutrition and New Ingredients
Responding to the first need are the first and fourth of the major trends identified by Porsche Consulting, namely, the push for functional nutrition and the development of next-generation ingredients. While investments in agriculture 4.0 and the digitisation of the supply chain meet the needs of businesses.
"The country's food supply chain," write Porsche Consulting, "is at the centre of a silent but profound revolution, driven by these four major directions: with a value of more than EUR 520 billion, equal to 28% of the national GDP, the sector must accelerate to consolidate and further develop a supply chain that is one of the country's assets.
According to data reported by Porsche Consulting, the functional nutrition market in Italy is worth more than USD 5 billion (EUR 4.5 billion) and 57% of European consumers orient their choices towards functional, traceable and environmentally friendly products. Investments in agriculture 4.0 technologies and in those concerning the digitisation of agricultural enterprises are also very important. These are initiatives that aim to economise on technical means such as agropharmaceuticals with benefits both on the cost structure and on reducing the environmental impact. According to analyses by Porsche Consulting, the AgriTech sector has a turnover of EUR 2.23 billion in 2025.
Growing deals in Foodtech
A decisive angle from which to observe the transformations taking place in the agri-food sector is that of investments in FoodTech companies. According to Porsche Consulting, the resources invested during 2025 in this specific sector reached 256.1 million euros, a 123% growth compared to the previous year.
