Cibus: Made in Italy food is worth 193 billion

Cibus: Made in Italy food is worth 193 billion. This is according to research conducted by Federalimentare and Censis and presented today during Federalimentare’s assembly as part of the Cibus event in Parma. The association called together representatives of institutions and government to take stock of the sector’s performance and confront the challenges that current events impose, including Europe, global crisis, export and development. Also present at the event were two representatives of the Meloni government, such as Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso and Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, Mirco Carloni chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Paganini, professor at Temple University in Philadelphia and president of Competere, and Matteo Zoppas, president of Agenzia Ice.
“The Food Industry between the European Union and New Global Configurations,” the title of the survey, highlighted the centrality of the food industry and Made in Italy and the importance of future choices in Europe. In detail, for 93 percent of Italians the food industry is synonymous with social and economic development, for 94 percent Made in Italy is one of the main ambassadors of Italianness in the world and a driving force for the economy thanks to exports that have reached the 53 billion in value by 2023, while for 89 percent, stronger actions are needed to support the competitiveness of European companies vis-à-vis non-European ones. In short, Italians believe in the sector but we also need input from Europe.

Cibus: Made in Italy food is worth 193 billion.

In the meantime, however, the market is flying: in fact, the food industry now ranks first among manufacturing sectors in terms of turnover value and second in terms of both the number of companies and the number of employees, with a value of 193 billion euros, or 15.6 percent of the total turnover of industrial sectors. During 2013-2023, food and beverage sales increased by 31.3 percent, with 60,400 enterprises employing 464 thousand people. Household spending on food and beverages amounted to 195 billion euros and accounted for 15.2 percent of total household consumer spending, a higher share than peer countries such as France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.
An important piece of this data then comes from exports, which increased by 57.3 percent in 2013-2023 and 148.5 percent in 2003-2013. Among the geographical areas of destination, 56.2 percent went to EU markets and 14.9 percent to non-European countries. Numbers that make Made in Italy now an economic powerhouse that last year reached a value of more than 380 billion euros, more than two-thirds of the total value of Italian exports in the indicated year. A label that nearly 91 percent of citizens call “an expression of Italian pride” and 94 percent “one of the main ambassadors of Italianness in the world.”

Made in Italy quality at a global level

For Adolfo Urso, minister just of Made in Italy, this is“now in the world the product of quality and excellence at the global level, which has been able to win against the tide the challenge of globalization.” He is echoed by Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty. “Every top-level initiative, such as Cibus, which promotes Italian excellence, is of incalculable value. There are many buyers from other countries who come to the fairs because world citizens are hungry for Italy“. Regarding the Agriculture Decree “there is a strategic vision that confirms Italy’s willingness to have the production sector at the center, protecting it and guaranteeing our producers the right price, while also ensuring that farmland is protected from speculation and that we can counter critical issues in the sector“. The measure, for Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio,“confirms the government’s attention to the agribusiness sector and promotes the alliance between agricultural producers, the food industry and distribution, with the recognition of adequate compensation for all.”

Strategic sector for the economy

In short, a strategic sector emerges for Italy, which still “still grows too little and only in recent months is it regaining some vocation for growth – stresses Giorgio De Rita, secretary general of Censis – growth that Italy is regaining thanks to industry and especially Italian food, conditioned by a European dimension that is becoming increasingly significant.”.
At the same time, however, according to the research, Italians think that Europe should also do its part to protect this heritage: 84.9 percent believe that barriers should be raised to goods arriving from countries with inadequate health and safety rules compared to those imposed on EU companies, and more than 89 percent think that the European Union should support member country companies in their efforts to become more competitive with those from non-EU countries. According to Paolo Mascarino, president of Federalimentare, “The Italian food industry wants to make a great contribution to the country’s development agenda. Companies have solid fundamentals, and they know how to produce unique and inimitable foods. But to continue the growth trajectory, we also need a commitment from institutions, European and Italian, at a structural level. In this regard, we would like a Europe that fosters the entrepreneurial talent of our industry with initiatives that promote its competitiveness at the international level,” he concludes Mascarino.