Grain-based products at IPACK-IMA 

A lunchtime staple, but some choose it for breakfast and snacks too. What? Pasta! One of the world’s favourite foods, with a global production of over 17 million tonnes. Recording a per capita consumption of 23 kg per year, Italy remains the leading global consumer of pasta but the market for grain-based food – and pasta in particular – is constantly growing and the data is extremely interesting. 

That’s because global production has grown by 1.8% against 2021 and has doubled since 1998. Italy ranks first among the market leaders, with 3.6 million tonnes in 2022 – recording a rise on 2021 of 3.2% -and a total turnover of €7 billion. What is more, focussing on consumption, Italy is followed by countries such as Tunisia, with 17 kg per year per capita and Venezuela with 12 kg. Not only that, in terms of macro areas, 75% of the pasta consumed in Europe and 25% worldwide is produced in Italy. 

But even this most traditional food is evolving in line with new lifestyles, as consumers take more interest in different pasta shapes and sizes, and kinds of packaging, seeking more environmentally conscious options and new consumption methods – especially thanks to the popularity of pasta around world, where, in addition to Tunisia and Venezuela as mentioned earlier, Greece now accounts for 12%, Peru 9.9%, Chile 9.6%, France 9.1%, and the United States 8.8%.  (Source: Unione Italiana Food, IPO, Astra Ricerche).

A globally growing market finds its community at the fair

Grain-based food is not just a reflection of tradition, it is an evolving segment that is adapting to cultural influences and the internationalization of markets. This aspect emerged clearly during the latest IPACK-IMA, which focused heavily on the segment, with significant numbers of high-profile global players and visitors.

In terms of turnout, 24% of the total visitors (one in four, then) were from this market, amounting to over 14,000 out of the approximately 60,000 in total that attended the fair.

As regards packaging machines, those designed for grain-based food – usually grouped with the pasta, bakery, and milling community at the fair – recorded mind-boggling numbers. In fact, the turnover in question amounted to €3.1 billion in 2022 alone, and is expected to grow by a further 3.5% for 2023-2027. Countries with the highest growth rate include Egypt with +5%, Brazil with +4.6%, and China with +4.5%. Italy leads production trends with a total turnover of €491 million, 190 companies operating in the sector, and an 68% share of exports, most of which are to the United States, Germany, and France. (Source: MECS).

Thanks also to the innovation capacity of businesses and their owners, Italy therefore emerges not only as the largest producer, exporter, and consumer, but also ranks first for packaging technologies. This unique combination of achievements – which only Italy can claim worldwide – makes IPACK-IMA an unmissable event for the entire production chain.

A showcase for the most advanced technological solutions offered to the market

Pasta, bakery, and milling is a core area at IPACK-IMA, which has always been a go-to event for businesses all over the world, in particular for the dry pasta production technologies on display. It is also an excellent opportunity to find superlative products for the world of fresh and stuffed pasta, couscous, baked goods, milling products, cereals, and feed. Some of the most cutting-edge solutions range from lines for weighing, portioning, stacking, bagging to automatic packaging and palletising systems, from milling and cleaning systems to flour handling, from meal presses to mixing, kneading and extrusion machines, to dies and cutting systems through to industrial cooking and baking systems and drying systems for pasta and rice. 

Major names already confirmed

A string of top industry players have confirmed their attendance, including high-profile names such as Alapala Dis Ticaret, Altopack, Anselmo Impianti, Axor, Bühler, Cavanna, Cimbria, Clextral, Concetti, Foodetch, as well as Gea-Pavan, Imas Makina Sanayi, Ing. Polin, Italo Danioni, Italpack, Italpast, Landucci, Mulmix, Niccolai Trafile, Omas, Opessi, Ricciarelli, Satake Europe, Selematic, Sircem, Tecalit, Technosilos, and many more besides that specialise in this segment.

About us

IPACK-IMA is the leading international fair for processing and packaging industry for both food and non-food products. The 2022 fair recorded 59,837 visitors (25% from abroad), who met 1,166 exhibitors offering the best of international technology in the industry. Next year’s exhibition will be held at the Milan exhibition centre (Fiera Milano) from 27 to 30 May 2025.