ITALIAN HAM, BACON AND MORTADELLA CONQUEST THE WORLD: IN 2009 EXPORTS WERE UP 3.6% IN QUANTITY AND 3.3% IN VALUE, SAYS THE ASSOCIATION OF MEAT INDUSTRIES (ASSICA)

Italian deli meats triumph on tables around the world: during the blackest economic year since 1929, exports of ham, bacon and mortadella increased by 3.6% in quantity and 3.3% in value. 110,000 tons of products were exported, and brought Italy a turnover of 860 million euros, says ASSICA, the Association of Meat Industries. The most popular exported meats in 2009 were cured ham (+2.1%), cooked ham (+2.6%), bacon (+6.1), mortadella (+11.3%) and bresaola (+12.3).

“Export is a primary goal,” said President Francesco Pizzagalli, “and the positive numbers in 2009 are the result of a strategy ASSICA put in place to confirm our deli meats in the world. We recently obtained an extension of the range of meats so that virtually all of them can now be exported to Canada and South Africa. Negotiations are in progress also with India, Thailand and Taiwan. The excellent positive trend of our exports confirms that one of our strong points is our products, their quality and inimitability, which allow us to succeed on world markets where there are opportunities for growth and profitability. In this tough year, this result was also due to the ability of Italian deli meats to remain competitive on other markets”.