Long shelf life and ease of preservation, affordability, nutritional values on a par with fresh fish and the ease with which it can be prepared make canned tuna a must-have food in the shopping cart. This has been even more true during the last year, so much so that we can speak of a new “golden age” for the Italian canned tuna. One in two Italians increased their consumption during the hardest months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The Italian canned tuna sector is also confirmed as one of the most virtuous of the Italian food industry. In Italy alone, in 2020 it exceeded a market value of 1.40 billion euros (growing by +6% compared to 2019) as national production exceeded 80,300 tons (+8.21%) and consumption reached 160,191 tons (+4.7%), equal to about 2.67 Kg per capita.
THE VALUE OF EXPORTS
At the same time, exports had a positive spurt reaching 30.500 tons (+18.6%), confirming the growing interest for Italian products abroad both in EU countries (Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Czech Republic, etc.) and also in Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Arab Emirates.
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As regards the fish canning sector as a whole which, in addition to canned tuna, includes other products such as mackerel, anchovies and sardines, ANCIT (Associazione Nazionale Conservieri Ittici e delle Tonnare – National Association of Fish Canning and Tuna Processing Companies) estimates a 2020 turnover of around 405 million, for a total value of over 1.81 billion. (Source: ANCIT elaborations on Istat data).