There is no development without innovation, with attention to the evolution of national and international demand. It is the essential assumption with which Cibus Connecting Italy 2023 returns to the stage in Parma from 29 to 30 March. The ambitious project that the International Food Exhibition is pursuing is to convey the needs and experiences of production, industry and distribution around a single table, which works on the delineation of new scenarios for the world of Food. Scenarios that see supply chain supply models that are closer but discontinuous, but also the greater enhancement of the territorial link and the continuous rediscovery of productions, traditions and culture of living and eating in the Italian way. This is what emerged from today's press conference to present the event, held in Rome.
THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE – Cibus Connecting Italy is organically made up of two souls. The first is undoubtedly the experiential and immersive one in the tradition and in the "know-how" of Made in Italy agri-food. By visiting the fair, an operator can truly understand, explore and touch the roots of Authentic Italian food & beverage: raw materials, semi-finished ingredients and processed products are, in fact, at the center not only of the exhibition activity, but also of the numerous “ Cibus Destination on the Road”, which the fair traditionally reserves for hundreds of foreign buyers in the various territories.
INNOVATION – The second soul of Cibus Connecting Italy is linked to its role as a privileged platform for networking and mutual exchange. The central theme of the fair is precisely the ability of the food industry and the entire supply chain to create and offer innovative and tailor-made products, capable of meeting the premium demand from the domestic and foreign markets. Under the magnifying glass, the catalog of new products and the Innovation Corner, display of the 100 most interesting product innovations, evaluated and selected by a jury of experts. The fair, in collaboration with Le Village By Crédit Agricole, reserves ample space for start-ups, authentic laboratories of novelty and propellers of fascinating sustainable projects often with a very high innovation coefficient.
THE KEY ROLE OF HO.RE.CA . – A key role within Cibus Connecitng Italy is reserved for the Foodservice channel: the show, in fact, devotes ample space to the search for quality, the scouting of typical raw materials and education activities aimed at operators in the sector. The profound meaning of all this is to transform the hôtellerie, restaurant and catering worlds into ideal showcases for promoting Italian excellence beyond national borders.
THE SPECIAL AREAS, THE MULTI-CHANNEL SYSTEM, THE PROGRAM – A multi-channel fair that is constantly renewed: today Cibus is above all this. Four new areas of the 2023 edition: fruit and vegetables (with the absolute debut among the exhibitors of the fair of Italian producers of fresh fruit and vegetables), semi-finished products for ice cream and pastry, "rich in" and plant-based products.
Great emphasis on the fluidity of interaction between different tools and channels: the experience at the fair and the "Cibus Destination on the Road" program are joined by the functions of MyBusinessCibus, a platform that replicates the meeting between supply and demand in a digital key.
The multi-channel nature of the fair is completed by a program of about 40 events, including round tables, networking activities, exhibitions, seminars and the inevitable Doposalone, “Cibus After”.
The event will symbolically open on Wednesday 29 March at 11, in the new Plenary Hall of Pavilion 4, with the inaugural conference; the presence of representatives of the institutional and political world is expected. Among the most authoritative voices that will take turns at the microphone, also that of Nielsen IQ which with the very latest "Consumer Outlook Survey" will present unpublished data on the inflationary events of the beginning of 2023 and various possible keys for interpreting the transition of consumption on the multiple sales channels .
The rest of the scheduled events are available at https://www.cibus.it/convegni-2023/
THE NUMBERS – 20,000 visitors expected at the fair from 90 different foreign countries, including 1,300 top buyers, arriving in Parma thanks to the incoming program developed in collaboration with the ICE agency. About a thousand made in Italy food brands represented.
Among the top buyers present at Cibus, Metro AG International Germany, Selfridges, Sodexo UK, Waitrose UK, Albertsons, HEB USA, Rouses Supermarkets, Meijer, Albertsons, Performance Food Group, Sysco, The Kroger Co. Sysco, Marks & Spencer, Lulu Group International, Mercadona, Eroski Spain, Biedronka (Jeronimo Martins), Lotte Mart, Coop Estonia, Colruyt, Delhaize, Billa, Leclerc, Tesco… and many more.
THE STATEMENTS –
“ Italy - observed Paolo Mascarino, President of Federalimentare - is known throughout the world for its food culture and for its food model, which has its cultural point of reference in the Mediterranean diet. This model is recognized as one of the healthiest and most balanced in the world and this is reflected in all the world rankings relating to general population health, longevity and low levels of obesity, where Italy regularly figures in the very first places. The Italian food model is also among the most sustainable, because it is based on the valorisation of the territory: we are a country rich in biodiversity and local products, for which the protection of the landscape is essential. The food industry is also one of the main engines of the country's economy. The great variety of original products and the presence of excellent brands have allowed Italian exports to conquer significant market shares at an international level, to the point that "Made in Italy" abroad is now synonymous with taste and quality. Not even the international crises and the pandemic have managed to curb this trend: in fact, the data show record levels for our exports which from 2000 to 2022 mark almost 300%, while if we look at exports alone in 2022, we see that it has arrived around to 50 billion, 19% compared to the previous year. Cibus represents an opportunity to show all of this to the world public: our healthy and sustainable food model, which enhances the values of taste and tradition. "
“ Cibus Connecting Italy continues to grow and has already reached significant numbers - he said Gino Gandolfi, President of Fiere di Parma - “but I feel able to say that we are still at the beginning of a path of development and an ever more intense enhancement not only of Cibus, but of the entire Italian agri-food chain, national pride and true excellence of Made in Italy. I am convinced” concludes Gandolfi “that the Government, also through the ICE Agency, will be able to support and support us in the valuable mission of contributing to the promotion of Made in Italy in the world”.
"Cibus is definitively the manifesto of Made in Italy food, of the ability of our manufacturing and our supply chains to be increasingly in tune with consumers from all over the world - said Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere di Parma - Over the last 10 years agri-food exports grew by double digits, even during the pandemic and the war, in all geographies and on all channels. For this reason, similarly to what happened in other leading Made in Italy sectors, Cibus wanted and was able to become a successful international event on an annual basis. ”
" Made in Italy food & beverage flies to international markets and Agenzia ICE is also at Cibus Connecting Italy alongside companies, with its innovative export services. The sector's attention is focused on the blockchain, a traceability system that through the use of new technologies, it guarantees the consumer on the quality and origin of the product, certifying the supply chain - observed the President of Agenzia ICE, Matteo Zoppas - The diffusion of the blockchain makes it possible to enhance and protect Made in Italy at the same time, is a crucial issue for the entire sector and one of the tools to counter the problem of Italian Sounding.Innovative services with higher added value can thus allow companies to further improve their already important performance: in the first 11 months of 2022 exports increase by 16% compared to 2021 and exceed 54 billion euros In particular, food products mark 20%, wines and beverages de 11%, which is affected by the double-digit inflation rate. The concrete help to the category will unquestionably be given by the recent double-digit reduction in the cost of overseas transport which it is hoped will become structural ”.
" A total of 1,300 top buyers from 90 foreign countries will meet around 500 exhibitors in two days at Cibus Connecting Italy 2023 in Parma - said Roberto Luongo, Director General of the ICE Agency - These are the numbers that confirm ICE's role in supporting the internationalization of the supply chain food industry, alongside Italian SMEs and the Fair: an extensive incoming program of foreign operators, preceded by a series of communication actions, conducted through its own network of 78 offices abroad and aimed at promoting the event, the sector, the Italy brand and its products. "
“ Tradition and innovation will be the keywords of the future of Italian agriculture. – declared Senator Luca De Carlo, President of the 9th Permanent Commission (Industry, commerce, tourism, agriculture and agri-food production) - At Cibus, the great attention to innovation will allow us to face the challenges with a less ideological and more scientific approach .”
