A REFLECTION ON THE TECHNOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE FOOD SECTOR Silvia Angélica Domingues Depto. de Política Científica e Tecnológica - Instituto de Geociências, Unicamp. Caixa postal 6152 - cep:13083-970, Campinas – SP silvia@ige.unicamp.br André Tosi Furtado Depto. de Política Científica e Tecnológica - Instituto de Geociências, Unicamp. Caixa postal 6152 - cep:13083-970, Campinas – SP furtado@ige.unicamp.br Abstract This paper intends to do a reflection on the innovation activity of the food industry, emphasizing that its technological dynamism is besides its expenses in R&D (research and development). This industry is very unique because it has a great heterogeneity inter and intra-segments. So, the food industry induces a large R&D activity along its productive chain. Thus, its technologic effort can be being underestimated if we don’t analyze R&D accomplished by its suppliers (of capital goods, inputs and raw materials) and distributors (wholesale and retail). At the same time, we consider that the cooperation relationships and partnership that the food firms maintain with other agents (of the productive chain and/or the innovation system) result in important inputs for the innovation process through the learning that these interactions provide. Key words: innovation, technical dynamism and heterogeneity.