MEAT-TECH to be held in Milan from 17 to 20 May 2021 together with TUTTOFOOD

At a meeting held on July 16, the MEAT-TECH exhibitors reaffirmed their belief in an increasingly strong supply chain.

Supply chain, food safety and sustainability are the hot topics of the third edition of the Ipack Ima exhibition devoted to processing and packaging solutions for the meat, meat-based products and ready meals industry.

As part of its strategy of listening to the opinions of market players, MEAT-TECH held another meeting yesterday between the show’s exhibitors to discuss market trends, the expectations of exhibitors and their customers, and the opportunities arising from the new dates chosen for MEAT-TECH. Through this form of direct participation, the guidelines for the contents of the 2021 show were drawn up with the aim of fulfilling business expectations regarding the represented supply chains, technological solutions and target markets.

One of the new features of the show is its joint scheduling with TUTTOFOOD, the international B2B trade fair devoted to the food sector. The result will be a unique European event that combines the Meat, Seafood and Dairy sectors, traditional product categories of TUTTOFOOD, with the finest processing and packaging technologies and solutions showcased at MEAT-TECH.

Nicola Levoni, Chairman of ASSICA (Industrial Meat and Cold Cuts Association), a longstanding partner of MEAT-TECH which represents a sector with revenues of more than 8 billion euros, said in his opening remarks: “Our industry takes a keen interest in a supply chain project showcasing both technology and finished products. As part of our Association’s close collaboration with MEAT-TECH, we will be organising events during the period leading up to the exhibition as well as a meeting during the show itself.”

Thanks to its strategic partnership with the associations ANIMA-ASSOFOODTEC, UCIMA and ASSICA, MEAT-TECH is capable of representing the entire industry.

2019 was a sluggish year for the Italian pork meat industry and in particular for cold cuts, with production down 0.7% in quantity and consumption falling by 0.6%. In particular, the sector was hit by weak demand combined with rising raw material prices. “However, we are optimistic about the possibility of kick-starting the entire sector, which is a flagship for the Italian food industry around the world, without neglecting any step in the supply chain,” said Levoni. “We are also adopting extensive measures to boost exports. Processing and packaging technologies are crucial to our industry.”

According to ANIMA Assofoodtec data, Italian technologies and equipment for food products recorded a value of production of 5.2 billion euros in 2019, up 0.2% on 2018, with exports reaching 3.4 billion euros.

As UCIMA pointed out, Food is an important target sector for the packaging machinery industry and accounts for 55.9% of its revenues, which in 2019 exceeded 8 billion euros with significant export growth volumes (2.3%) (source: MECS).

The joint scheduling of MEAT-TECH and TUTTOFOOD takes on even greater strategic importance as it brings together two sectors that have demonstrated their ability to adapt to the needs of the retail channel, which is undergoing profound transformation and needs to meet consumers’ growing demands for sustainability and food safety.