The socio-economical differences in diet derive almost entirely from the perception of availability, affordability and convenience of food and not from the real problems related to the cost, in brief: good food must be more expensive. This is what the results of the study conducted by researchers at the Deakin University (Australia) suggest. The survey was carried out on a sample of almost two thousand women (1,850 to be precise) to find out to what extent financial means and the cost of food influence food consumption.
But is this also true of pasta? With an annual consumption of approximately 25 kg per capita, the Italians, famous the world over for many qualities but definitely not for exorbitant wealth, are the biggest consumers of pasta in the world. But the Italians aren’t the only ones who love pasta; on a worldwide scale, production reached 14.5 million tons and this trend is continuously growing: in fact, over the last ten years, world production has gone up by 25%. The international popularity of pasta therefore proves that it is not only good for you but also affordable.
“What makes pasta a winner as a global food – explains Paolo Barilla, President of AIDEPI (Italian Association of Confectionery and Pasta Industries) – are its innate characteristics: It tastes good, is good for you and promotes well-being. It is a food that is complete and filling thanks to its protein content. And, above all, everyone can afford it.”
