Lollobrigida presents Cibus 2024:record edition in May

The reference event for the Made in Italy agri-food sector, the result of the consolidated collaboration between Fiere di Parma and Federalimentare, scheduled in the Emilian capital from 7 to 10 May

ROME - Over 3,000 brands and a waiting list of 600 companies, more than 2,000 top buyers of Italian and international large-scale distribution from the United States, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and the Middle East, as well as a large Japanese delegation and the return of China after the stop due to the pandemic. These are the numbers of the 22nd edition of Cibus, the reference event for the Made in Italy agri-food sector, the result of the consolidated collaboration between Fiere di Parma and Federalimentare, scheduled in the Emilian capital from 7 to 10 May and that in 2024 it is preparing to beat all its records.With 120 thousand m2 of exhibition space distributed across 8 pavilions of the Parma Fairs, Cibus 2024 will offer a complete cross-section of the Italian food sector, presenting at the fair all the best of the main Made in Italy agri-food sectors:fresh products, meats, cured meats, dairy, ready and frozen meals, in addition to the grocery section, with pasta, preserves and condiments, the pillar of our agri-food exports.The new edition of the International Food Exhibition was presented this morning by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, in a press conference at the ministry headquarters in Rome, in via XX Settembre, together with among others to the president of Federalimentare, Paolo Mascarino, to the CEO of Fiere di Parma, Antonio Cellie and to the president of Ice, Matteo Zoppas.

LOLLOBRIGIDA:“WITH CIBUS WE AFFIRMS THE ITALIAN MODEL IN THE WORLD”

“Made in Italy is the combination of the best qualities we can offer.We must tell the rest of the world about the excellence of the Italian agri-food system by making our products more and more known", said Lollobrigida.“Exports represent a primary asset for the nation's economy, which is why it is essential to create opportunities in which to meet and discuss new scenarios and new strategies for the sector.Cibus, which I had the opportunity to present at the beginning of March in Japan together with the president of the Ice Agency, Matteo Zoppas and the ambassador Gianluigi Benedetti, certainly represents a moment to affirm our food model as a global reference".

MASCARINO (FEDERAL FOOD):“TRUST ABROAD, ITALIAN FOOD INDUSTRY CONQUERS MORE AND MORE MARKETS”

“Federalimentare is honored to contribute, together with Fiere di Parma, to the creation of Cibus 2024.An edition that promises to be record-breaking, as demonstrated by the number of participants.For the Federation, this is an important opportunity as the food industry, in addition to generating products and employment, with its activities contributes to food security and the well-being of Italians, demonstrating its high social value.Furthermore, the Italian food industry presents itself at Cibus 2024 as a healthy sector, constantly growing and enjoying great trust from consumers.This trust is also reflected abroad, where the Italian food industry is conquering more and more markets, helping to export Made in Italy and the Italian lifestyle around the world", declared the president of Federalimentare, Paolo Mascarino.

EXPORT DATA

In 2023, according to Istat data, despite a slight drop in volumes, exports recorded a value of over 52 billion euros, with an increase of 6.6% compared to 2022.The sector's horizon is very uncertain at a global level due to the uncertainty of international scenarios, but also of intra- and extra-EU regulations.Despite the reduction in margins and disposable income, the risk of new duties and hyper-restrictive legislation, companies in the sector continue to invest and innovate, paying increasing attention to the needs of the consumer and the planet, as demonstrated by the thousands of products that will be exhibited at Cibus 2024 to restore value to categories put to the test by wars and the climate crisis.Consumer food prices, due to factors exogenous to businesses - according to Federalimentare data - thus rise more than inflation:a trend that contradicts the ancient calming qualities of the sector and which is also evident in the first months of 2024.In 2023, against an average inflation of 5.7%, consumer prices in the sector stood at +9.8% and these increases will not be able to cover the surge in production costs.Further signs of vulnerability emerge by also looking at the international macro prices of agricultural raw materials, which all grew by double digits in the decade 2014 - 2024 (source: World Bank).Elements which, according to Federalimentare, add to the tensions of cereal imports which - also due to the Ukrainian conflict - are at high risk with evident consequences on the volatility of the prices of the products which are the basis of the Mediterranean diet.An emblematic case for example is represented by extra virgin olive oil, where the doubling of the costs of the raw material, and therefore the exponential increase in the prices of the finished product, has forced one in 3 Italian consumers to reduce its consumption, as noted recent research presented at the Cibus Lab in Bitonto on March 8th.Examples which overall highlight how the national food industry, despite being structurally 'hostage' of international traders for around a third of raw materials, continues to compete and grow thanks to an extraordinary flexibility and creativity which has allowed Italian consumers not to impoverish their shopping cart too much and international distributors must quickly adapt their assortments so as not to lose too many volumes.

PARMA FAIRS:“THE FUTURE OF MADE IN ITALY FOOD WILL DEPEND ON INNOVATION”

“The future of Made in Italy food will depend on its ability to continue to innovate and invest while remaining faithful to traditions and territories,” commented Cellie.“From the privileged observatory of Cibus we are very confident about the consistency of our companies and our products.In recent years we have further increased the value for money of our offer which is becoming increasingly interesting for the main geographies of our exports to the benefit of the trade balance and the various supply chains".In this key, Cibus has promoted and created an Observatory on the food sector, which Fiere di Parma will develop in collaboration with CERSI, the Research Center for Entrepreneurial Development of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.A monitor to offer entrepreneurs, managers and policy-makers a constantly updated picture of the international trend of the food sector, providing useful information for the purposes of searching for commercial development opportunities in foreign markets through a comparative and constantly updated methodology.A first set of research data aimed at analyzing the competitiveness trends of the main regions of the world (Europe, America, Asia) will be presented as a preview at the show.A study that will be fully implemented in the autumn, with the analysis of export data from 11 key countries:Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, USA, China, Brazil and Thailand.The objective is to make an assessment of the international competitiveness of each country, through the analysis of the evolution of the competitive position in the last five years and of the main destination markets for food products.