BOLOGNA, Italy, Jan. 20, 2021 -- Tomato sauce is one of the ingredients that represent Italy. It plays an important part in traditional recipes and some of the most popular dishes in the world such as spaghetti and pizza. Italy is the third largest producer of tomato sauce in the world, behind the USA and China, with 5.26 million tons of tomatoes processed per year and a turnover that reaches 3.5 billion euros, of which 1.8 billion from exports (Iri data).

In the first eight months of 2020, the export of tomato derivatives recorded a growth of 2.64% in volume and 9.44% in value (Istat data), which demonstrates the important foreign appreciation for the Italian tomato. A positive trend is also confirmed in internal consumption, which increased both in volume (+ 9.7%) and in value (+ 16.4%) compared to the same period of the previous year (Iri data).

The difference in 2020 is the Asian market which recorded an increase of + 6% compared to 2019, the result of investments and new commercial agreements with between Europe and Asia. A fundamental step also made possible by promotional campaigns such as The European Art of Taste, funded by the European unio and CSO Italy, to spread and promote the high quality of Italian production.

Processed vegetables such as tomatoes are not only a tasty ingredient to give recipes a unique taste, but are real allies for health, as they are cholesterol-free and low in carbohydrates. Tomato sauce provides excellent levels of vitamin C and pro vitamin A, in particular of lycopene and is a suitable food for all diets. It has no contraindications for metabolic diseases and overweight and does not contain lactose and gluten. The tomato sauces produced and certified in the European unio are a guarantee of safety, in which the best raw materials are chosen directly from the most suitable areas.

The European Art of Taste project, funded for 3.7 million euros by CSO Italy and the European unio, represents the main Italian producers of transformer vegetables such as Conserve Italia which, together with the other leading companies (Oranfrizer, Mazzoni Group, Jingold, KingFruit, Joinfruit, Rk Growers) are known all over the world for their quality and their fruit and vegetables.