Characteristics, Evolution and Perspectives of the Pasta Industry

The Italian pasta industry is, at present, the world largest producer. Since the end of the second world war this industry has experienced a massive restructuring process. Domestic demand, being in a maturity phase, has been characterised by a slow growth rate while the exports have considerably increased; at the same time, there has been a sharp modification of the supply and a large number of small, local producers has progressively exited the market. This restructuring process has led to the rise in concentration: the pasta industry appears, at the moment, as the most concentrated within the agro-food sector. The major fields to invest for the development of the sector include: internationalisation, especially oriented to emerging markets; product innovation, in order to respond to the increasing health and wellness needs; process innovation, to reduce production and logistic costs; quality and food safety, factors of increasing importance for evolving consumers; communication on the distinctive elements of the Italian pasta, including the reaction against episodes of "Italian sounding"; the firms' growth, prerequisite to efficiently operate in such fields; the Italian retail sector, essential tool to bring more and more the Italian products on foreign shelves.