Bread in Italy is ‘fresh and artisanal’

Rome: Bread and baked goods are apparently booming in Italy as more and more people turn to the local bakery or supermarket instead of baking at home.

The study, by the Italian Association of Bakery Ingredients (AIBI), found that demographic changes and an increase in smaller households and single-parent families had resulted in a big increase in the amount of

bread Italians buy – a huge 1,600,000 tons in 2018.

But not just any old bread will do. The study also showed that Italians are shunning industrially-produced

loaves, though there are few on Italian supermarket shelves, for something that tastes more like mamma used to make.

The study said there are some 20,000 bakeries of all sizes across Italy, and noted that eight percent of them are run by foreigners.

Demand is growing for high-quality multigrain bread with lots of flavour – but the products also need to keep

for a while, and it’s even better if they’re eco-friendly.

Since 2012, sales of bread made with “highly selected” ingredients have grown between eight and ten percent

every year.

Today this kind of product accounts for 35 percent of the turnover of all Italian bakeries.

Not all bakeries are created equal in Italy. Some focus solely on bread, while in some towns they might also

produce cakes and pastries, or fresh pasta. In cities like Milan, the study showed that cafe-bakeries are becoming more popular.

70 percent of bakers still concentrate on making bread, the study showed, but pizza and focaccia too have grown by 23.5 percent and sweets and pastries by six percent.