IPACK-IMA, the international trade fair specialising in packaging, processing, and innovative materials scheduled to run from 27 to 30 May 2025 at the Fiera Milano Rho conference centre. A new partnership intended to step up interaction with the pasta market will be launched at the show with a not-to-be-missed event for the industry: the Pastaria Festival.
Promoted by Pastaria, leading international trade journal for pasta producers, the festival will be held, exceptionally, as part of IPACK-IMA on 28 and 29 May 2025. An event within the event, conceived to offer pasta producers a unique opportunity to keep up with the latest developments, meet up with experts, and explore new products and solutions.
“The market revolving around pasta and grain-based food is part of an extensive supply chain that ranges from food processing to bakery, from packaging machinery to end-of-line, without forgetting automation, robotics, traceability, labelling, and innovative materials, all of which are vital for a mass-market product like pasta – said CEO Simone Castelli -. Introducing an event with the reach of Pastaria, IPACK-IMA aims to build an even closer, more beneficial connection with an industry that has always played leading role in the fair, with the prospect of developing that role still further”.
“The Pastaria Festival was created with the aim of offering pasta producers a unique opportunity for professional development and discussion: this year it will continue its mission within IPACK-IMA, a global event aimed at outstanding participants – announced director and publisher of Pastaria Lorenzo Pini. The pasta industry is evolving rapidly, and our goal is to create an opportunity for meaningful exchange that brings together technology, trade, and expertise to offer new prospects for development. We are excited to bring the Pastaria Festival to IPACK-IMA 2025, launching a partnership that strengthens our commitment to giving voice and value to a key industry by connecting all the main players in the supply chain”.
Now at its ninth festival, Pastaria is the leading international event for the pasta industry and offers a line-up of high-profile conferences and meetings facilitated by simultaneous interpretation in Italian and English and enhanced by contributions from universities, businesses, and trade specialists. Focus areas range from technological innovation to sustainability, food safety to the dynamics of the global market, with a view to providing practical tools to take on the challenges of the future.
An opportunity brimming with synergies
As the festival is a key part of IPACK-IMA, it will offer visitors not only an extensive conference programme, but also the chance to explore the most recent technological innovations showcased by exhibitors and engage directly with suppliers of solutions for pasta production and packaging, creating new business synergies.
Racking up successes in production, consumption, and technologies
In 2024, the global pasta market reached revenues of €130 billion with a 6.6% annual growth rate forecast by 2028. This growth can be attributed to rising urbanisation, changing lifestyles, and the global spread of cuisines (Asian and Italian, for example) that make extensive use of pasta and pasta-like products and are driving up consumption across the world. On average, 17 million tonnes of pasta are produced and consumed every year. Industry leader in production terms is Italy, with a yearly pasta output of almost four million tonnes, revenues in excess of €8 billion, and exports accounting for 47% of total production. Italy is followed by the United States (two million tonnes produced), then Turkey (almost two million), Egypt (1.2 million), and Brazil (almost 1.2 million).
Some of the qualities of pasta, such as the fact that it is a non-perishable, easily transported food item with a long shelf life, contribute to its commercial success while also having a knock-on effect for the machinery sector aimed at this market niche. The latest surveys on the Italian packaging technology sector aimed specifically at bakery and grain-based food show an industry worth €579 million per year, with exports making up 72%. Broadening the field of observation to include packaging technologies for the food sector in general, the latest analyses forecast a 4.4% growth in the sector in Italy by 2028 (source: IPACK-IMA Observatory, MECS data).
