Apr 27, 20212 min read

Italian pasta exports are skyrocketing even in 2021

Unione Italiana Food shares Nielsen IQ data highlighting a sales growth rate of 11% in volume in the last month. A trend also confirmed on the main international markets where Italian pasta is seeing an increase in consensus and market shares

Sales increased by 11% in volume in the last month for Italian pasta, from 13.1 million kg per week in February to 14.6 million kg per week in the last 15 days in the retail channel, setting a record since the beginning of 2021.

Unione Italiana Food – the organization that brings together Italian pasta makers – confirms also for this year the trend that in 2020 brought 50 million more packages of pasta in the pantries of Italians. A year ago, the peaks of purchases were concentrated in March (+40%) and October-November (+10%), the hardest and most uncertain moments since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CONSUMPTION BOOM ALL OVER THE WORLD

Even abroad, a real surge in the consumption of pasta is confirmed. At the end of isolation, according to research conducted by Adot 60% of French people increased their consumption of pasta. A Nielsen survey showed that in the UK Italian pasta was the most purchased food product in the week from 1st to 7th March last year, certifying that at the end of the month sales had increased by 55%. Finally, in the United States, local pasta makers had to increase by 30% the volumes produced, in order to meet the increase in demand.

Italian Pasta Sales Trend (Jan-Sept 2020/2019)

Pasta export figures for the first nine months of 2020 speak for themselves, with very significant sales trends in Germany (+18.1% in volume and +21.9% in value), UK (+20.2% and +20.7%), France (+10.6% and +9.4%), USA (+40.6% and +44.2%).

FRANCE, GERMANY, UK, USA ARE THE MAIN ESTIMATORS

The success of Italian pasta in the world is confirmed by research on the consumption during the first pandemic-fueled lockdown – commissioned by Unione Italiana Food and Italian Trade Agency to Doxa on the occasion of the last edition of the World Pasta Day. In fact, 99% of the French, 98% of the Germans, 95% of the British and 90% of the Americans consume it. Per capita consumption in the USA stands at 9 kg, in France and Germany 8 kg, while in the UK only 3.5 kg.

What is also surprising is the frequency with which Italian pasta is brought to the table abroad. In all the countries analyzed (Italy, France, Germany, UK, USA), the majority of the population eats pasta on average from 1 to 4 times a week, in percentages which vary from 56% of Americans to 85% of French, going through 61% of Germans.