Open innovation in the food industry: trends and barriers — a case of the Jordanian food industry

This paper aims to provide an overview of open innovation (OI) and the food industry, examine the main drivers of this model in the food industry, and consider the impact of applying open innovation strategies by companies. A single case study method was conducted with expert interviews with one of the largest food manufacturers in Jordan. Even though the food industry is considered a somewhat mature industry and low-tech, there are a lot of trends and unexplored potential that could permit the application of OI. This is the first study examining OI in the food industry in Jordan and one of the first in the MENA region. It is meaningful for the application of open innovation in countries with a lack of resources and small market size, especially SMEs that lack awareness of the importance of open innovation strategies and their applications. The findings also indicated that small and limited markets could be a huge barrier that hinders the application of open innovation and also indicated that Jordanian culture plays a major role as well.