World Pasta Day on October 25
21 October 2016Pasta manufacturers from all over the world will be in Russia on 25 October to celebrate the World Pasta Day. Pastaria is the event’s media partner.
by International Pasta Organisation
Pasta lovers around the world will soon celebrate the 19th Annual World Pasta Day coming on October 25, 2016.
One of the biggest celebrations will take place in Russia, where pasta makers, industry members, scientists, media and other opinion leaders from around the world will convene a veritable United Nations of Pasta. The event is hosted in Moscow on October 25 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel by the International Pasta Organisation (IPO) and AIDEPI in partnership with the Italian Trade Agency ITA. Moderated by Sergey Malozemov, Russian author and TV presenter, the event will include engaging speakers, discussing the high nutritional value of pasta, its accessibility and adaptability to all populations and world cultures, and its extremely low environmental impact. Above all, it will highlight the incredible taste and versatility of pasta, a global food able to satisfy the nutritional primary needs, and to enhance the most sophisticated cooking. A perfect blend of tradition and modern simplicity and pleasure, pasta is as fitting on the family table as it is in the kitchens of the world’s most famous and glamorous chefs.
“Pasta can really make a difference at tables all around the world, not only from a nutritional and environmental point of view, but also for its gastronomical value, its versatility and its power to gather people together,” said Riccardo Felicetti, IPO Chairman and President of the AIDEPI Pasta Group. “Pasta is good and brings joy to the table.”
Felicetti added that pasta is the centerpiece of traditional eating patterns around the world, such as the Mediterranean, Asian, Latin American and vegetarian diets. Recent innovations such as large-sizes pastas (i.e., paccheri, conchiglioni), enriching pasta dough with minerals and vitamins or “superfoods” (i.e., red beets, rosemary, beans), one-pot pastas and more mean pasta is more versatile than ever. It also is one of the most environmentally friendly foods to produce.
World Pasta Day, celebrated since 1998, recognizes the important role pasta plays in helping to feed the world through a variety of healthy and tasty cuisines. In recent years, fad diets touting grain-free foods proliferated, leading to consumer confusion about the popular staple.
Now pasta is making a comeback. Earlier this year, based on findings in its Food Trends 2016 Report, Google touted its resurgence, saying demand continues to rise. This prediction was based on a significant increase in pasta search results, which rose 26 percent between January 2015 and January 2016.
Industry trends support this. During the last 15 years, pasta production has increased 56 percent. Russia alone imported nearly 47,000 tons of it in 2015, with per capita consumption of 7.2 kilograms per year. In addition, with more than 1 million tons of pasta, Russia is the fifth largest pasta producer after Italy, America, Turkey and Brazil.
“We are exited to celebrate World Pasta Day 2016 in Moscow,” said Felicetti. “The strength of the Russian pasta market in terms of both domestic production and imports from abroad may be a surprise for many.”
Five Good Reasons to Love Pasta
Delicious, healthy, affordable, sustainable and versatile, pasta is popular on tables around the world. Here are 5 reasons to celebrate this symbol of the Mediterranean Diet every day, everywhere.
1. Pasta is good for you and the planet
Made from durum wheat semolina or from the flour of other grains mixed with water and/or eggs, pasta is nutritious by itself. Mixed with olive oil, tomato sauce, vegetables, beans, seafood and lean meats it is a key ingredient of healthy traditional eating plans around the world. Pasta also is good for the planet. In recent years the industry has initiated a sustainability journey that saw a progressive decrease in water consumption and CO2 equivalent emissions. Experts at the 2015 Healthy Pasta Meals Scientific Consensus meeting, organized by the nonprofit Oldways, confirmed that pasta is a simple plant based food and has a low environmental impact.
2. Pasta is the pillar of the Mediterranean diet
Pasta joins other grains, as well as fruits, vegetables, olive oil, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices as the basis of the Mediterranean diet. The diet is one of the healthiest eating patterns in the world and has been linked to lowering incidences of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It also is recognized for helping people achieve weight loss and weight management goals.
3. Pasta helps keep you full
Because of the way pasta is made during the manufacturing process, its glycemic index is lower than less complex carbohydrate foods. This means it has a better impact on blood sugar. Additionally, pasta is digested slowly, providing steady energy and a prolonged feeling of fullness. That sense of fullness can lead to less consumption of food at the next meal.
4. Pasta does not make you fat
Excess calories, not carbohydrates, are responsible for obesity. Moreover, very low-carbohydrate diets may not be safe, especially in the long term. A pasta meal can be moderate in its calorie content if the portion size is correct (one-half to two-thirds cup of cooked pasta/80 grams of uncooked pasta) and the dressing or topping is not calorie rich. A recent study, published in Nutrition & Diabetes, links pasta intake with significantly lower body mass indexes (BMIs) and central obesity.
5. Pasta is tasty and brings people together
In an age where everything is fast-paced and we’re prone to adopting nutritional fads or diets of the day, pasta remains a mealtime favorite. It is enjoyed at family tables and gourmet restaurants everywhere.
For more information about this event please contact wpd2016@aidepi.it or visit www.worldpastaday2016.org
The programme of the World Pasta Day 2016
9:30 Registration of participants
10:00 Welcome
Paolo Barilla, President AIDEPI
Riccardo Felicetti, President IPO
Pier Paolo Celeste, Director ITA Moscow
Moderator Sergey Malozemov
10:20 Pasta is good for your health
Sara Baer-Sinnot, President Oldways
Elena Tikhomirova, Nutritionist
Formal Signing of the Scientific Consensus Statement by the Russian Scientific Panel
Questions & Answers with the Scientific Panel and Ruslan Nigmatullin, former
goalkeeper of the Russian national team
11:20 Coffe break
12:00 Pasta is tasty and brings people together
Davide Scabin, Chef, Combal.Zero
Vladimiri Mukhin, Chef, White Rabbit
Andrey Rudkov, Food Blogger
Anna Maslovskaya, Food expert
13:00 Lunch Ritz Carlton Hotel
14:30 Pasta is a global food
Jack Skelly, Market analyst, Euromonitor International
15:30 Pasta is good for the environment
Riccardo Valentini, Professor at University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
Ivan I. Vasenev, Professor at Russian State Agrarian University – MTAA Moscow, Russia
16:30 Conclusions
Sergey Malozemov
16:30 IPO Annual general assembly (IPO members only)
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