THE OFFER OF MADE IN ITALY FOOD PRODUCTS IN LARGE-SCALE RETAIL

Parma, 9 May 2018 -What will we be eating in 2038? What will be the features of food product packaging in the near future? This is the starting point for a discussion about consumption and consumers. We will need to break new taboos in order to make room for new and alternative foods, from Novel Food to jellyfish, from algae to insects (already consumed by over two million people). Communication will also need to take these developments into account, including through Smarter packaging (that is, easy to use, rechargeable and talking). After all, the green sector, technology and new values are among the main megatrends of the future. We need to focus on targets still to be discovered and think like the Centennials and the better-known Millennials. These are the points that emerged from the conference “#Food2038. How we will buy, how we will cook, how we will eat #Retailfastforward”, organized on the occasion of Cibus by Mark Up and Gdoweek.

A panel of experts discussed how to understand the future of retail and consumption on the basis of the analysis by the sociologist Caterina Schiavon, Alessandra Iovinella (Future Brand) and Grazia Grassi (Kantar), Despar, Auchan, Alibaba, Crai and Cortilia. The future in terms of food products was also examined from theperspective of children (target Centennials) by Carmelo di Bartolo of (ICS International School) and Altavia. The food products of Italian companies are distributed by big chains, whose financial results were analyzed during the RetailWatch conference “How the type and positioning of brands and customer satisfaction determine the financial results of Italian large scale retail.” The survey looked at nine of the leading brands operating in Italy, and also measured consumers’ loyalty levels.Too much choice creates confusion, anxiety and uncertainty in consumers, hence the idea of streamlining category stock. This possible opportunity was presented today at Cibus during a conference organized by the University of Parma and IPSOS: “In Store Marketing: theExperimental Way.”

The impact of excessive choice was measured using a technology (eye tracking) and context (an experimental supermarket) that have never been used before for this purpose.The food&beverage industry has a turnover of more than 130 billion Euros and involves more than 465,000 employees in 56,000 companies, generating the highest added value of all Italian manufacturing sectors, equal to 72% of the combined added value of the furniture, clothing and automotive sectors. This data was presented today by The European House -Ambrosetti at a round table discussion during the third day of Cibus.

Although Italian products are popular around the world because of their high quality, in order to compete on global markets it will be important to attract capital and talents.Another issue that was discussed during the third day of Cibus was the new American regulation governing food imports from Italy (FSMA-Food Safety Modernization Act), which was analyzed during the conference “FSMA: Opportunitiesand challenges for the food industry,” organized by Tecnoalimenti. “Virtuous Italian companies,” said Armando De Nigris, President of the Italian Tradition Consortium, “do not consider FSMA a challenge and were ready for this legislation, therefore we welcome restrictions that impose a selection on quality.”According to the analysis of CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) presented today at Cibus, there has been an increase in the quantity and quality of food consumption on cruise ships, which carry a total of almost 27 million passengers. The Carnival group, which includes Costa and Princess among its brands, pointed out that every year the Group spends over 1 billion dollars in food&beverage.

To give a few examples, every year it spends 100 million dollars in mineral water, 36 millions in shrimp and 225 million in eggs. It is a rapidly expanding market that sees an increasing demand for Made in Italy products, but Italian agri-food companies are not always equipped to supply the large quantities that are required.While Cibus is an Italian food exhibition, it also hosts a number of foreign companies. For example, in the “International Gourmet Taste” area companies display high-quality, typical food&beverage products from the United States, Brazil, Russia, the Middle East, Japan and Europe. There is a particularly strong Spanish presence among the stands, with 18 exhibiting companies.Confagricoltura held a conference today on innovative products and the dialogue with modern distribution, as well as a workshop on how to improve relationships between farmers and industrialists in order to reach mutually beneficial solutions that best meet market challenges.