July 25, 2022
The 2022 edition of Cibus, organized by Fiere di Parma and
Federalimentare, exceeded expectations by returning to pre-pandemic numbers despite
the dragging Covid endemic and the conflict in Ukraine. The 21st edition of the fair was a
collective, but not unexpected, representation of the vitality of the Made in Italy agri-food
sector and of the trade fair that has been representing it for over forty years.
Foreign operators, brought by the great work done by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), and
Italian ones had the opportunity to add to their ranges by discovering thousands of new
products, often with strong ties to the tradition of local areas.
The real news of Cibus 2022 is that the crisis showed the solidity of our country’s familyrun businesses, as they continued to work and make plans without losing heart even
during the pandemic emergency and the Ukraine crisis – in fact, they increased their efforts
to achieve the excellence and sustainability of their products.
All operators confirmed that the Made in Italy agri-food sector is the ideal recipe not only
for the food service segment, as its popularity around the world has been showing us for
decades, but also for retail, where our products are no longer just an import niche but are
turning into a mainstream choice for consumers. In the many conferences dedicated to the
issues of the Out of Home sector, Large Distribution, Private Labels, Agriculture, Industry
and Scientific Research, participants stressed the qualitative migration of consumption
towards healthier and more sustainable products, an area where Made in Italy food is a
clear leader thanks to its roots and its traditions.
This demand by importers and distributors, which has been growing in double figures for
over 10 years now, is behind the organizers’ decision to schedule Cibus in 2023 as well
(from 29 to 30 March) – just as the other great Made in Italy exhibition, Vinitaly, is doing – in
a lighter format, so that international operators can spend more time in the area and have
the opportunity to visit and get to know the companies that have made the Italian agri-food
sector famous.
On the fourth and last day, Cibus 2022 highlighted the role of the Italian food and service
sector in the world as ambassador of Italian cuisine and of Italy’s varied food production.
During the conference “The future of the out of home sector: the food service sector at the
service of Made in Italy production”, the cultural association “I Love Italian Food” reported
that it has created a network of about 20,000 restaurateurs, in all continents, for which it
organizes B2B events, food festivals and professional training.
New eco-innovative, industrial food products were presented at the 12th edition of the
“Ecotrophelia Italia” competition for university and technical institute students, organized
by Federalimentare.
“Italy’s Best Cheese Counter Person” was elected at Cibus following the competition
among cheese counter persons in small shops and in large retail, organized by Guilde
Internationale des Fromagers Italia and by the publishing group Tespi.
The Cibus Food Saving initiative took place again this year, organized by Banco
Alimentare to collect food surplus from the exhibitors at the end of the trade fair. The food
donated by exhibiting companies, still in perfect condition, goes to 742 affiliated charitable
organizations.
Finally, a project by Fondazione Fiera Milano, Fiere di Parma and Federalimentare for
setting up two canteens in Ukraine for the refugees gathering on the country’s borders was
presented at Cibus.
November 25, 2022
