There was certainly no need for confirmation, but if there had been any, it came during the lockdowns: pasta is one of the best loved foods, cooked and reinterpreted differently in Italy and around the world. For several years, the Pastaria Festival has been a quintessential event where pasta is celebrated, discussed and explored, and this year, to offer something extra for professionals and pasta lovers alike, the festival is taking place as part of TUTTOFOOD on Tuesday the 26th of October.

Organised by the eponymous magazine in collaboration with Fiera Milano, the festival comprises of an extensive programme of over 14 events with contributions from leading Italian universities, major research bodies and leading experts and sector analysts.

“Founded to celebrate the magazine’s tenth anniversary, the Pastaria Festival has become an annual event eagerly awaited by all key players in the pasta supply chain”, comments Lorenzo Pini, Director of Pastaria, “because here they, associations and academics exchange state-of-the-art pasta research. This is why we felt it was important to include it in an event with international reach like TUTTOFOOD, where all the main producers are exhibiting, which has a customised format that enhances synergies with an exhibition. Plus, we’re moving to Milan for the first time, a city that has become a global Food & Beverage hub”.

Numerous highly topical issues will be addressed. In terms of new consumer trends, the focus will be on how to make the most of short supply chains and local production in response to needs emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate emergency, meanwhile innovative products will include, among others, fresh pasta made with fermented durum wheat flour, with its relevant technological and nutritional aspects, and the features and production of pasta made with legumes, a fast-growing niche in response to the demand for low-carbohydrate, high-protein foods. There will also be a foray into the world of novel foods, with a debate on protein extracted from insects, again aiming to create high-protein pasta.

In addition to specialist issues, like using innovative wheats to reduce the glycaemic index of pasta or the digestibility of legume pastas, topics related to service content - and sustainability - will also feature, which consumers are increasingly conscious of, with an in-depth analysis of alternative materials for pasta packaging as well as paper coatings and treatments and its potential use for fresh pasta, not to mention safety, shelf life and end-of-life scenarios for packaging, fresh pasta in particular. Thanks to contributions from experts and analysts, new eating habits will also be analysed, some well-established and some new, and even out-of-home pasta consumption pre- and post-pandemic.