Pasta is one of the few dishes that weathers any storm of shifting trends. On the American dinner table—and those of many other nations—there always seems to be room for pasta. According to recent data from The Nielsen Company, the pasta industry continues to see gains in global pasta sales. The International Pasta Organisation (IPO) reports that the ongoing increase is driven in part by consumer attention to health and sustainability trends. As noted by Nielsen, worldwide pasta sales were up for the second year in a row in 2017, following an increase in 2016.
“This positive momentum is influenced by consumer attitudes showing an increased interest in wellness, and a sustainable approach to eating,” noted the IPO in a recent report, adding, “As a plant-based food, pasta has an extremely low environmental impact, making it especially attractive to consumers. Another area of advantage for pasta is that it is energy dense, and easy to store and distribute.”