Discover it during "The Festival of Specialty Foods" 2022. (Dubai 8 – 10 November)

In 2021, Italy set a new record for agrifood exports, surpassing the previous high of 52 billion euros. The trend will likely continue: +21% in the first semester of 2022.

The value of exports of bioproducts has increased by 181% over the last decade, reaching 3.4 billion euros in the past year.

With these statistics, Italy returns to the Specialty Food Festival in 2022.

Organized by the Italian Trade Agency with the assistance of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italy Pavilion at Mena's major event for the gourmet and fine food business will include 56 exhibitors and a rich and delectable schedule of events.

The Italan Food Lab, the open kitchen situated inside the Italy Pavilion (Za'abeel Hall 4) will host live culinary demonstrations through November 10th. Visitors will learn how to blend classic and creative Italian ingredients to produce traditional and innovative cuisine. They will see experienced Italian chefs operating in Dubai, such as Burj Al Arab's Michelin-starred Chef Saverio Sbaragli and Giovanni Papi, Chef at the newly Michelin-starred Burj Khalifa Ristorante.

The 56 Italian artisanal F&B producers housed in the Italy Pavilion provide a complete picture of the diversity of Italian cuisine and bring to the Speciality Food Festival a selection of unique, healthy, sustainable, and delicious Italian products, including pasta, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, creams, spreads, juices, ice cream, and bakery goods.

The Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Lorenzo Fanara, said, "Italy's participation in the Specialty Food Festival is part of the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World. With a robust program of activities, including culinary programs and live events, we will highlight the many distinctive aspects of Italian food, including tradition, sustainability, conviviality, and innovation, among others."

Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE, stated: "Italian agri-food export to the UAE reached Euro 300 million in 2021 (+16 percent compared to 2020), of which over 200 million were F&B items, whose value climbed by +52 percent in the first half of this year. One of the key drivers of this performance is not only the excellent reputation of Italian food, which is renowned worldwide for its deliciousness and authenticity, but also the fact that Italy is also the kingdom of organic, bio, and certified food products, which customers are increasingly demanding in the GCC and the UAE. This is why, when presenting Italy at Speciality Food Festival 2022, we at ITA came up with the slogan: Sustainability is Sustainab-ITALY! ”

The good nutritional qualities, safety guarantee, and sustainable attitude to the environment and communities of bio food items are attracting a rising number of consumers who are more concerned about the environment.

Organic goods accounted for 6% of total Italian food exports in 2022 and earned a turnover of €3.4 billion (+16% compared to 2021). In ten years, the demand for Italian Bio agri-food products has increased by 181%, and the land area dedicated to organic cultivation has increased by 79%, now exceeding 2.1 million hectares (17.4% of the country's total cultivation area); in addition, Italy is one of the European countries with the highest number of companies involved in the organic sector, with over 80,000 businesses.

Regarding "products certification," Italy has 842 categories and ranks first in Europe for registered and protected food- farming and viticulture goods, which account for 21% of the food-farming industry's exports.

In the last decade, the use of phytosanitary products in Italian agriculture has decreased by 32 percent, establishing it as the most sustainable in Europe. With 30 million equivalent tons of CO created, the Italian industry is also more virtuous than any other EU nations.