In Italy there is an equal distribution of meat, dairy, fish and seafood producers and ready meals between northern, central and southern Italy.

There are a total of 3,012 companies operating in the meat industry, and five regions where the largest producers are concentrated: led by Emilia Romagna (with 572 companies), followed by Campania (475), Lombardy (449), Lazio (202) and Veneto (187).

There are 2,478 producers in the dairy sector, in which Campania (435) excels.

In the fish and seafood sector we have a total of 600 producers, with primacy to Sicily (123).

Finally, in the Ready Meals sphere we have 526 specialized companies, with Lombardy in first place (82).

Looking at the rest of the world, and particularly in Europe, it appears that the majority of protein product manufacturers are in Eastern Europe, where Russia stands out as the leader in all segments except for ready meals where Belgium emerges instead.

In Africa, the greatest concentration of producers is in the north, with Algeria and Morocco leading the top 4 in all segments.

As for Asia, India is the leading country in dairy, fish and seafood, and ready meals while China is the leading country in meat production.

Finally, in the Americas, Brazil is the leading country for the number of producers of meat, dairy, and ready meals while the United States is the leading for fish and seafood.

Globally, Europe ranks third in the world in the number of producers of protein-based products, with Asia in first place.

(Source: Roland Berger – 2022 data).