he tomato-processing sector and its products have historically played a strategic role in the context of Italy's fruit and vegetable industry. In recent years, the whole to- mato processing supply chain in Italy has experienced profound restructuring triggered by the reform of the Common Market Organisation, accompanied by increasingly fierce price competition resulting from several emerging countries competing with Italy on foreign markets. We analyse the main changes currently under way in the scenario of international trade in tomato and its deri vatives, and how they have inevitably changed European dynamics and hence the competitiveness of Italian tomato exports. Starting from these general considerations, we seek to ascertain whether Italy has managed to keep pace with the radical changes in the tomato sector and market and whether it has managed to maintain its traditional dominant position internationally. The results show Italy's partial failure to anticipate the new conditions of international trade on tomato and its derivatives, in some cases losing market share.