CIBUS 2018: Scenes from a show

There was lots to see at CIBUS 2018—Italy’s largest food and beverage show held in Parma in early May.

The biennial show drew some 80,000 attendees including buyers from all over the world including Canada’s major grocery retailers. Pierluigi Spagoni, marketing manager at Fiere di Parma, which organizes the show with Federalimentare, says export markets are increasingly important to Italy’s food industry. And early this year, the government declared 2018 the "Year of Italian Food"--a campaign to promote Italy's food abroad. According to ItalianFood.net, Italy’s agri-food sector exported about $60 billion worth of goods in 2017. That's a lot of prosciutto and Parmigiana Reggiano!

International buyers certainly had much to see at the sprawling CIBUS 2018 show that filled eight halls with 3,100 booths. Here are some highlights from the show floor: