There will be bread for toasting, for sandwiches or for brushcetta. Then there will be pizzas, pastas, charcuterie, mozzarellas and ready-to-cook microwave meals, made with the highest quality ingredients, for those who want to eat their meals on the hoof, but who, at the same time, are looking for products to satisfy their palate, even when away from home. In addition, there will be delicious culinary “creations” ideal for catering, presented in an original way, as is the case with the finger food or, in keeping with tradition, the canapés, pastas and the spoon desserts.

There will be all of this and more at the trade stands prepared by those Italian companies attending the Fispal Food Service 2011 in Sao Paolo, Brazil from the 6th to the 9th of June. A selection of flavours from the Mediterranean diet that will undoubtedly attract the attention of visitors and staff alike. The Ice (Italian Institute for Foreign Trade) has arranged for a group of 15 firms, selected from the most representative of those in the sector, to be located around a Punto Italia information point that will be providing the most relevant information.

Brazil is currently the Latin American country with whom Italy does the greatest trade, more so, even, than Argentina that has always been a major partner in the area. The fair, therefore, represents one of the sector’s most important events in South America.

What will undoubtedly make a difference are the products that in some way represent the greatest asset for the Made in Italy sector, items such as jams, fruits in syrup, products in oil and peeled tomatoes. However, the fair, now in its twenty-seventh edition, will also be turning its attention to beverages that, at both lunchtime and the evening meal, are almost as important as the food. So there will also be room for wine, be it white, red or rosé, which in all cases has, as one of its major traits that of being produced from high quality grapes that are in no way inferior to those of France. However, for those who do not drink alcohol, particularly when away from home, there will also be a vast selection of non-alcoholic and fizzy drinks that help the digestion, or better still those that are naturally effervescent. However, in order for a meal or supper to be worth anything, particularly when using the services of a caterer, attention has to be paid to detail. So it is that Fispal Food Service 2011 will be introducing a wide range of useful products, from plates to disposable coloured plastic glasses, cutlery to aprons and the different uniforms for the waiting staff.

In 2010, over 1,500 companies from 15 different countries were represented at the event. The professionals from Brazil and abroad that visited the Fair numbered in the region of sixty-five thousand with a total turnover that exceed €120 million. All of this augurs well for a new edition, packed full of surprises and challenges, for which the Italian companies are more than ready.