A new study has found that Italy exports 56% of the pasta it produces, to around 200 countries, with almost three quarters (71%) of exports destined for European countries.
The total volume of pasta exports is estimated at around two million tonnes, according to the Italian Association of Sweet and Pasta Producers (AIDEPI).
Germany, France and the UK are the leading markets, consuming around €1 billion worth of pasta each year.
The highest growth in pasta exports has been achieved in Spain (+22%), Belgium (+14%), Ukraine and Belarus (+32%) and Lithuania (+52%). Pasta exports are also up in Russia, by 9% to 23,000 tonnes.
Rival Markets
Although Italy remains the leading pasta producer, generating 3.36 million tonnes per year, competition is heating up from non-EU countries, such as Turkey, which has seen growth of 77% over the past five years, and now produces around 1.5 million tonnes per year.
To consolidate its leadership position, Italian producers are increasingly focusing on pasta types linked to health and wellness: wholemeal, organic, gluten-free or developed from alternative ingredients such as chickpeas, lentils, turmeric, buckwheat, sorghum and amaranth.
Over the past 10 years, pasta consumption in Italy fell by 7% (equivalent to 250,000 tonnes), due to a boom in alternative products (from rice to soy), gluten intolerance or, simply, new fashions and habits.
A separate study by Confcooperative revealed that Italy accounts for one third of pasta sales in the US, a market worth $2.9 billion. In the next five years, the local pasta market is expected to grow by 3.7%.
Currently, the US market is responsible for 12% of all pasta sales abroad.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
