THE 17TH EDITION OF CIBUS OPENED ON THE WAVE OF GROWING EXPORTS, TIMID MARKET COMEBACK, ORGANIC, HEALTH CONSCIOUSNESS, BATTLE AGAINST WASTE AND A LOOK AT WORLD MARKETS FOR WINE & FOOD, EVER MORE THE SYMBOL OF ITALY AND EXPO 2015

In a world that is increasingly hungry for Italian food and Italy, which is still struggling with the economic hardships of many families, where you would expect at least a small turnaround, Italian wine & food is the most powerful symbol of Italian style. And, this is where Cibus, the International fair of Made in Italy food industries, will start in Parma from May 5th to 8th (www.cibus.it). 
Exports need to be cultivated to keep growing and the domestic market needs a reverse tendency, focusing on consumer trends that are all the rage all over the world, from organic to health consciousness, innovation, mono-portions to fight waste, and so on, which are the main theme of the event.
The objective is, of course, Expo Milano 2015.
But let's start with the numbers. In 2013 Italian food reached a record high of 33.4 billion euros (two-thirds in the European Union, with wine the absolute winner at over 5 billion euros in value, ed.), a resounding +38% since 2007, the beginning of the crisis, as the Italian farmers association, Coldiretti noted, 2014 opened with a comforting +4 % in the first two months of the year compared to 2013. Domestic consumption, which has seen wine & food purchases decrease 8% over the same period, also seems to be showing some small signs of growth. The Italian food industry inspires a comforting atmosphere of trust and respect. And, for 6 out of 10 Italians (57%), according to a Doxa survey for the Italian federation of food industries, Federalimentare, the food & wine sector represents Italy better in the world; much more than fashion (27%), cars (7%), footwear (7%) and furniture and design (3%).
However, Federalimentare points out that the crisis is starting to weigh on the integrity of the productive sector and continues to erode consumption (4% less in 2013): 12.000 micro-enterprises in the food sector have closed in the last ten years. “The perception of the food industry as the top and true symbol of Made in Italy”, said Filippo Ferrua Magliani, president of Federalimentare, “confirms the commitment to quality of a key sector of the national economy. But the crisis also affects us. In 2013 at a 4% drop, was the worst year for domestic consumption. We need a sound policy to support development, rather than adding taxes and bureaucracy. Measures like 80 euros bonus in paychecks could help boost confidence and encourage an increase in food consumption, and thanks to this measure could amount to 0.5%”. In any case, the real economic development of the Italian food sector is abroad. It is not just because of the turnovers, but also companies that want to export: one out of two. 23.2% of the companies on foreign markets get 30% in revenues, and in some cases even up to 80%.
How can the sector grow? Abroad, first of all by fighting counterfeiting, as well as Italian sounding, which have a market estimated at 60 billion euros, twice that of the real Made in Italy products. And then, focusing on increasing quality, product innovation, packaging, but also fashions that have now become actual trends, such as the "organic" or healthy products. The real theme in a not too distant future, and in line with Expo Milano 2015 ("Feeding the Planet. Energy for life"), will be the sustainability of the food chain. “In the coming years, according to analysts, the food sector is the one that will grow the most in value: 8.2% by the end of 2017. In a context that is more and more oriented to trade and in a sector that is interconnected, there are still too many elements of distortion. Topics such as food require long-term thinking”, said the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda, at the opening of Cibus, where he also spoke of the "Milan Protocol" in the forum sponsored by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition Foundation. "The paradox is that 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year, 4 times what is necessary to feed 868 million hungry people in the world, and an environmental balance in red, which today is burning the resources of a planet and a half and in 2050 three planets Earth, the sustainability of food production on a global scale will become the problem”, added Calenda.
“In the next few decades”, said the deputy minister Calenda, “there will be food shortages caused by several factors and wasteful financial speculation. It is a disaster, a disaster for a country like ours where food processing is one of its engines. The Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition gives us a good tool to open the discussion on a topic in which Italy should have leadership”. According to Calenda, the "Milan Protocol" has the particular merit of beginning to define strategic goals and then to outline concrete actions, and it is also based on civil society. “It is a method to keep in mind for Expo 2015”, he concluded.