2023-10-25 07:52:21
Time.news – Now in its 25th edition, World Pasta Day allows today, 25 October, a point on the global diffusion of this food: the global pasta production is close to 17 million tonnes (+1.8% on 2021), doubling the 9 million of 1998, when World Pasta Day was born, notes the Italian Food Union together with the International Pasta Organization.
L’Italy is also the first producer in the world in this area, with 3.6 million tons and a turnover of almost 7 billion euros. In 25 years the export share has tripled, in the sense that today 1 in 4 pasta dishes consumed in the world is Made in Italy. And again according to the numbers, Italy appears to be also the country that eats the most pasta with 23 kg per capita per yearahead of Tunisia with 17 kg and Venezuela with 12 kg, with a total of 1.3 million tonnes consumed in 2022. So much so that 25% of the pasta consumed in the world and 75% consumed in Europe are produced by an Italian pasta factory.
Numbers aside, it must be considered that over the course of these 25 years a lot has changed in this sector, because the world of pasta has “evolved”, to the point that consumer knowledge of this product has increased and pasta has been “reinterpreted and adapted to new lifestyles”. “This year we celebrate an important milestone, which confirms how pasta is an extraordinary product that brings joy and conviviality to the table of millions of people all over the world every day”, declares Margherita Mastromauro, president of the pasta makers of Unione Italiana Food. Over the course of these 25 years, “as producers – she adds – we have seen how chefs continue to reinterpret it, how gastronomes describe it, anthropologists exalt its social role, just as nutritionists recommend it for correct and healthy eating”. In short, pasta is proposed and is “a universal food, rich in history and culture, increasingly a symbol of healthy eating, the consumption of which is constantly developing”.
According to Mastromauro it is “the perfect food for everyonea true food of the future, which combines taste and conviviality with an approach to food in the name of well-being and sustainability”.
Compared to the market, it appears that today – unlike 25 years ago – the world “is eating more and more Italian pasta”, in fact the recipient countries have increased (almost 200, +6.4%) and the export share has tripled, going from 740 thousand to 2.3 million tonnes (+210% in 25 years and +4.5% over 2021) , which represents 62.7% of production. According to data from the Italian Food Union, more than half of the pasta produced in Italy ends up abroad Germany, United Kingdom, France, United States and Japan they confirm themselves as the most receptive countries, purchasing a total of around 58% of Italian pasta exports (2,187 million euros).
However, emerging markets also record excellent performances Saudi Arabia (+51%), Poland (+25%) e Canada (+20%). From a consumption point of view, overall the leadership of pasta – at least in Italy – is absolute as “practically everyone eats it” (99%) at least once a week and over 1 in 2 Italians brings it to the table every day, while 1 in 5 (19.2%) consumes it 4-5 times a week. But for over 3 out of 10 Italians the trend and frequency of its consumption seems destined to increase, at least in Italy, while 4 out of 10 believe that there will be a further increase abroad too, as emerges from the research “Italians and the future of pasta”, carried out last September by the AstraRicerche opinion polling institute.
However, the product is evolving: looking at the next 25 years, the scenario that presents itself is this: for more than one Italian in 2 (59%), we read in a note from the Italian Food Union and International Pasta Organisation, “the pasta will experience new types with alternative flours or ingredients, will be stored in more ecological and biodegradable packaging” (52.6%) and “will see the addition of many new formats” (35.4%). But, curiously, the unexpected news concerns the consumption of pasta at less “traditional” times of the day, such as at breakfast or as a snack: in short, despite the presumed “conservative” soul of Italians, 8 out of 10 (79.5%) ” demonstrate great openness, confirming that they are ready to consume it as soon as they wake up or as a break during the day”, as long as it always maintains high levels of quality and taste (48.1%). Taste, in fact, remains in first place among the requirements sought in a pasta dish.
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