In this first part of this paper the internationalization process of food industries is analyzed in connection with firms' strategies. Particular stress is laid on the various types of internationalization and the operational policies of firms. Those strategies, whether they arise from a search for competitiveness by means of cost or differentiation, involve decisions in the field of internationalization. In a second part, the structural strategies of firms are dealt with. It is shown that multinational firms play a major role in the internationalization of food industries and constitute the foundation stone of the whole food sector dynamics.
