Supply chain, food safety and sustainability are the hot topics of the third edition of MEAT-TECH, the Ipack Ima trade fair dedicated to processing and packaging solutions for meat, derivatives and ready meals industry, which will take place at Fiera Milano from May 17^th to 20^th, 2021.

Among the news, the contemporaneity with TUTTOFOOD, the international B2B exhibition dedicated to the food sector that will offer a unique context in the European panorama by integrating the trade fair offer of Meat, Seafood and Dairy chains, historical sectors of TUTTOFOOD, with the best technologies and solutions for processing and packaging of MEAT-TECH.

In 2021 Milan becomes, therefore, the scene of a renewed way of networking, to expand business opportunities and create always new contaminations within the logistically and technologically most advanced fairground in Italy and among the most important in Europe.

Following the requirements of the industry, MEAT-TECH consolidates its strategy based on listening to the needs of the market: a new meeting between the exhibitors of the fair took place yesterday, a moment of important discussion on market trends, expectations of exhibitors and customers, the interesting prospects that are prefigured with the new choices related to the change of date of MEAT-TECH. Thanks to this form of direct involvement, the guidelines for the contents of the 2021 edition of the event have been defined in order to make it always more in line with business expectations, in terms of the chains represented, technological solutions and reference markets.

Nicola Levoni, President of ASSICA (Industrial Association of Meats and Cured Meats) and historical partner of MEAT-TECH, also spoke at the opening of the session, representing a sector of over 8 billion euros. "The interest of our industry for a supply chain project with technology and finished product on display is certainly high", highlighted President Levoni who added: "The effective collaboration of our Association with MEAT-TECH will lead us to the organization of approach events and a meeting during the exhibition days”.

MEAT-TECH is truly the event where all the reference industry identifies itself: in addition to ASSICA, the associations ANIMA-ASSOFOODTEC and UCIMA are, indeed, strategic partners.

2019 was a year of reflection for the Italian pork meat sector and, in particular, for cured meats (production at -0.7% in quantity, consumption at -0.6%). The sector was faced with weak demand and rising raw material prices. "We look with optimism anyway - commented Levoni - to the possibility of giving impetus to an organic restart of the entire sector, worldwide flagship of Made in Italy Food, without forgetting any link of the chain and fielding wide-ranging actions on the export front too. Processing and packaging technologies are fundamental for our sector".

According to ANIMA Assofoodtec data, Italian technologies and equipment for food products consolidated, in 2019, a production value of 5.2 billion euros (+ 0.2% compared to 2018), with exports reaching 3.4 billion euros.

As UCIMA pointed out, the packaging machinery industry sees an important destination in the food sector, with 55.9% of turnover, which in 2019 exceeded a total of 8 billion euros with interesting volumes of export growth (2.3%) - source: MECS.

The contemporaneity of MEAT-TECH and TUTTOFOOD takes an even more important strategic meaning as it unites two sectors that have demonstrated the ability to adapt to the needs of Retail channel which is undergoing deep transformation and needs to satisfy the requests for sustainability and food safety that the consumer is increasingly seeking.