Italian food exports have seen record growth of 10% since the start of 2017, according to farmers association Coldiretti, quoting on Istat data. Last year, the most popular Italian foodstuff abroad was wine, with a value of €5.6 billion, followed by fresh and processed fruit (€4.6 billion), fresh and processed vegetables (€3.7 billion), from animals, meats and processed meats (€3 billion), milk and derivatives (€2.7 billion), pasta (€2.3 billion) and olive oil (€1.2 billion).

Nearly two-thirds of exports go to the EU (+6% year-on-year), but there has been growth across all major markets, from North America to Asia and Oceania. Russia saw a drop of 59%, but the value remains low because of the embargo affecting most food types, except wine and pasta.