AGREEMENT BETWEEN CIBUS AND TUTTOFOOD. THE FOOD VALLEY AND CIBUS PARMA WILL PUT TOGETHER THEIR FOOD SECTOR KNOW-HOW AT THE 2015 EXPO IN MILAN. WINE WILL BE COVERED BY VERONAFIERE

The agreement has been officially signed between Fiere di Parma and Fiera Milano International to define the terms of collaboration between the two companies in order to simplify the national exposition situation for the food sector. The respective organizations are Cibus and Tuttofood and the agreement foresees, among other things, that Cibus Parma (an annual expo that reached the dimensions of 122,000 square meters in 2008), remains the expo of reference for food retailers in upcoming years, continuing its international development (it has become the third largest food fair in the world at this point), while Tuttofood (40,000 square meters in 2009) continues to develop rapidly, now becoming the restaurant expo of reference worldwide.

They have given themselves time until June 30, 2009 to define the terms of collaboration that will obviously be scrutinized by the necessary administrative councilors of the companies, Fiera Milano Spa, owners of the brand Tuttofood, and Federalimentare, co-owners of the brand Cibus.
“Federalimentare has always sustained the need to rationalize what expos offer and to specialize the demand”, noted Gian Domenico Auricchio, president of Federalimentare. The food industry needs clarity and an expo calendar without damaging duplications in respect to the real and concrete interests of the industrial user”.

The protocol diversifies the two expo fairs dedicated to Italian food and agriculture, with Tuttofood aimed at the restaurant business and food consumed outside of the home, and Cibus, owned by Federalimentare together with Fiere di Parma and aimed at modern distribution methods and the international development of Italian food products. “Increasingly, the food industry must favor the export processes and conquer foreign markets. The food industries, in fact, still have an urgent need for expos and fairs, often the only promotional tool inside and outside of national confines. For this reason, we are pleased that Expo 2015 will think of confronting and consolidating with greater determination what has already been acquired these years abroad, also with the help of ICE and Buonitalia”. Obviously, the relations, even economic, of Federalimentare with Fiere di Parma will be further defined and specified also with the scope of new companies that will be created between the two expos that have signed the protocol.
”An important agreement that, for once in our country, does not only sanction a truce, but a big step ahead, the start of a collaboration that is decisive for the competitiveness of the ‘Italian system’ in a moment of global crisis and in sight of Expo 2015”.

The mayor of Milan, Letizia Moratti, stated: “It is an important collaboration for the food sector that represents not only the theme of Expo 2015, but a key economic compartment for Italy. To create synergy in this current moment of international economic crisis is a winning strategy that will bring employment, development, and give value to the excellent products of our territories”.

The agreement also foresees a collaboration between Parma and Milan for Expo 2015, in which Food Valley and Cibus Parma will make available their food and agriculture sector know how, and in particular their historic relations with the food industry, the distribution and restaurant business, in order to “prepare the largest table on the planet during the event”.

Wine, instead, will obviously be covered by Veronafiere, who runs the leading wine expo in Italy and the world with Vinitaly.