Cibus 2024 was also visited by Adolfo Urso, Minister for Made in Italy and Enterprises, and Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests.
Among the key themes of the event was the promotion of PDO and PGI products: as confirmed by a research by NielsenIQ, when used as ingredients in industrial products, both contribute to sales growth in retail stores (specifically, by +14% in value and +9.6% in volume). In fact, the indication of PDO and PGI ingredients on packaging increases consumers’ propensity to purchase, encouraging them to prioritize premium products, even if their price is higher. The virtuous collaboration between consortia and brands is one of the very burning issues of Cibus. The event aims to be a platform for enhancing PDO and PGI products and also promoting best practices abroad, having regard both to promotion strategies and to commercial agreements.
Innovations and trends: health and well being
During the 4 days, more than a thousand innovation products were presented, including musical lollipops, plant-based eggs, truffle salami with Parmesan coating, and Modena balsamic vinegar chutney. Among the main trends, health and well-being were absolutely centric; in particular, collagen played a leading role as an ingredient of several innovative food and beverage products showcased at the show.
Artificial intelligence to counter food counterfeiting
A noteworthy application of artificial intelligence to counter food counterfeiting was showcased by the Consortium of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO: it is called Nina Project and aims at protecting one of the greatest excellences of our agri-food industry against fake mozzarellas, by combatting the phenomenon of Italian sounding. By the way, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is now the leading PDO brand in Central-Southern Italy and the third among Italian PDO cheeses.
Export of Authentic Italian Food & Beverage
Cibus also shed light on the export of the Authentic Italian Food & Beverage: this sector grew by 27% from 2013 to 2023, compared to the European average of 12%, according to data released by the Research Center for Entrepreneurial Development of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza-Cremona). This result brought Italian agri-food products sold abroad to nearly $64 billion, about 10% of European exports ($679 billion), placing our country fourth in 2023 for export development in Europe.
Talking about export, several food companies from Italy are increasingly interested in the American market: in fact, considering retail and alcoholic beverages, the former is worth $1.5 trillion. This topic was addressed during the seminar titled USA4 Cibus: opportunities for Italian companies to invest in the United States in the era of the Inflation Reduction Act, organized in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy. The workshop featured interventions from important brands such as Auricchio, Levoni, Rigamonti, and the participation of the Associazione Centromarca.
Made in Italy is considered by the majority of Italians (94%) an ideal driver of Italian culture worldwide, according to the Federalimentare-Censis research The food industry between the European Union and new global configurations; the study highlighted the importance of the Authentic Italian Food and Beverage sector, underlining once more the political relevance of any future choice in the EU.
Sustainability in the agri-food chain
There was also significant attention to sustainability, addressed in the conference Modern tools for a sustainable agri-food chain, organized by the Young Farmers of Confagricoltura-ANGA and by the Young Entrepreneurs Group of Federalimentare. The event was focused on strategies and best practices to encourage the export of Made in Italy products. Incidentally, sustainability has so much in common with the themes revolving around the future of packaging: according to the Packaging Observatory of Largo Consumo by Nomisma, for two out of three Italians, packaging plays a decisive role in their consumption choices, while for one out of two, it represents a crucial aspect in making a food product really eco-friendly. The 22nd Edition was accompanied, as always, by the Cibus Food Saving initiative, promoted by the Food Bank and aimed at recovering the products that exhibitors choose to donate, thus distributing them to affiliated charitable organizations in Emilia-Romagna, which assist people in need in the local area.
