Inovação no setor lácteo do Estado de Minas Gerais: análise sobre avanços e dificuldades enfrentadas pelas indústrias de laticínios

Abstract

Milk is one of the most important food sources on a Brazilians table. However, the scope of innovation has been the major challenge for the Brazilian dairy industry. The need for increased productivity and the development of new dairy products has turn innovation essential to pursuit competitiveness advantage in the dairy industry. The aim of the present study was to analyze the dairy sector of Minas Gerais State in terms of its innovative profile. The Innovation Radar was used as a tool for measuring the degree of innovation. The study involved 29 dairy industries representing 44% of the state's ´formal´ milk in 2018. Investments in brand, supply chain and platform were identified as the most important strategies for the industry. The challenges are the access to external financial sources, sources of knowledge and the difficulty in establishing partnerships. It was concluded that the organization of the dairy sector in a network format and based on a partnership between private initiatives and science and technology institutions is essential for a practice of an open innovation as a way to bring innovation to the dairy sector.