Every year, 800 Italian food companies are entering foreign markets for the first time. In 2017, Italian Food & Beverage exports increased by around 7% on 2016, with an expected turnover at the end of the year of about 32 billion euros. The most important destination of Italian food products are Europe and, increasingly, the United States.

According to Federalimentare data, Asia is growing fast, first and foremost China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan. Italian Trade Agency (ITA-ICE) has outlined a plan to strengthen the Hosted Buyers Program – which helps buyers define meetings at Cibus 2018 (the most relevant Italian trade show dedicated to food – scheduled in Parma from 7 to 10 May) – as well as guided tours of Italian Food & Beverage companies.