ROME - It must be fresh, capable of lasting for several days and based on selected materials the bread that Italians prefer and that they buy daily from the artisan baker. This was revealed by a Cerved research presented today in Rimini at the international exhibition of ice cream, pastry, artisan bakery and coffee (Sigep) by the Italian bakery Ingredients Association (Aibi) which is a member of Assitol - the Italian oil industry association.
The survey, in underlining that even in times of economic crisis, 85% of Italian consumption is concentrated on fresh artisan bread, records that compared to ten years ago, they eat less (75-80 grams per capita per day) but it demands taste and quality. Analysts in particular point out that consumers, although they often change the type of bread, ask for products with ancient grains, poorly refined or wholemeal flours, with seeds, fibers and low glycemic content, prepared with long leavening and eco-sustainable methods.
The study also highlights that it is high-relevance bread, with selected ingredients, that makes bread making grow, both in volumes and in value: today it represents 35% of the total turnover of Italian bread-making. Finally, it is pointed out that in the last few years the white art sector has registered a certain stability, with approximately 1.5 million tons consumed by the Italians. Currently the world of white art has about 20 thousand bakeries: Sicily and Lombardy are at the top of the ranking by number of operators, followed by Campania, Puglia, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia.