Federal food: «The new EU must distance itself from an anti-industrial policy»

«Il my greatest fear? It is that the new EU legislature can continue a substantially anti-industrial policy, which will ideologically make environmental aspects prevail without taking economic and social sustainability into account.” With the campaign for the European elections having just begun, the president of Federalimentare Paolo Mascarino is ready to put the requests of Italian food companies on the table in Brussels. Europe itself will be at the center of the public assembly che Federalimentare will hold this afternoon in Parma, during the inaugural day of Cibus.

What do you expect from the European Union that will emerge from the polls in June?
In the research carried out together with Censis which we are presenting today at Cibus, entitled “The Food Industry between the European Union and new global configurations”, it emerges that for 93% of Italians the food industry is synonymous with social and economic development and for 89% of citizens believe that help for the sector may come from future choices that will be taken in the EU. In this new multipolar world, the first priority is to defend the single market from all forms of unfair competition: not allowing non-EU competitors to sell products with standards lower than European ones, not imposing by law unique technological solutions that benefit some countries compared to others, do not judge the healthiness of food products with algorithms without a solid scientific basis and with the related traffic light labels. Furthermore, to put the competitiveness of its manufacturing back at the centre, the EU must promote structural investments and economies of scale to produce clean energy at low cost, for safe access to raw materials in the necessary quantities and quality, for efficient logistics height of our export potential.

What worries you most on the international scene?
Geopolitical instability, which inevitably has repercussions on commodities that influence the trend of production prices, which can therefore undergo strong fluctuations. The Middle Eastern crisis, for example, has impacted trade flows through Suez and the Red Sea, with drops in maritime traffic exceeding 60%, without forgetting the increases in the costs of container ships and freight.

Domestic consumption is stagnant, also due to inflation: when do you think it will slow down?
The inflation rate in Italy fell to +0.9% in April compared to +1.2% in March. The shopping cart price index also fell to +2.4% compared to +2.6% in March. In light of these data we can say that inflation is back under control, and that we have also avoided entering a recession. However, be careful not to confuse the drop in inflation with a drop in the costs of raw materials and energy, which have indeed stabilized but at values ​​much higher than pre-crisis levels. Much will depend on the evolution of the cost of energy in Europe and also on the future policies of the ECB, which could influence the performance of the European economies and consequently on consumption.

In 2023, food exports grew by 6.6% in value, but volumes fell by 1.6%: does this decline worry you?
If we compare it with the -2.5% suffered by the industry as a whole, the decline in the food sector was limited. The data does not worry us, but it is a sign of attention on the importance of reaching international markets with the right prices. In the first two months of 2024, industrial production restarted, with +1.1%, compared to -3.5% recorded by the total industry. Exports also started well, with a +13.5% compared to last year. These data give us hope for a positive 2024.