An ode to flavourful Italian food – this is the theme adopted by participating food manufacturers at the Foodex 2011 fair to be held in Tokyo from 1 - 4 March. On the occasion of this 36^th edition of the event, the Foreign Trade Institute has in fact organized a collective grouping of 180 companies which includes some of the most prominent food manufacturers in the agribusiness industry, who promise to offer the very best to Japanese visitors and industry operators.

Combining innovation and tradition, Italy will thus be showcasing its most prized foods: some already well known to Asians, others yet to be discovered. The quintessential pizza, different varieties of pasta, buffalo mozzarella and taralli from Puglia are just some of the delightful line-up of starters, with various varieties of sweets, such as cantuccini (dry almond biscuits) and amaretti, to complete this marvellous journey in flavourful food.

Nothing will be left to chance by the exhibitors, for an event that is unanimously considered the most important in all of Asia: from the quality of the foods to their careful presentation, how best to highlight them, and ending with the courtesy and quality of the services offered at the fair. The 3200 square metres reserved for Italian stands will offer visitors an array of enticing delicacies. Foods will be combined by excellent wines, discrete accompaniments that exalt rather than overwhelm their flavour. Visitors will be presented tasty vegetable preserves and fruit juices, two specialty products in which Italian excellence stands out in all its glory.

The goal of participating Italian food producers is to consolidate and reinforce already existing business relationships, maintaining market positions acquired over the years over foreign competitors, as well as establishing new contacts. Business relations between Italy and Japan are on the whole considered healthy: exports for the Italian agribusiness sector to Japan for the first nine months of 2010 amounted to some 370 million Euros, for a 3.5% increase compared to the same period for 2009.

An event such as the Foodex 2011 fair is a wonderful opportunity to further improve business relations with local buyers and broaden the horizon to other neighbouring Asian countries: the previous edition of the fair was in fact visited by over 73,500 industry specialists from both Japan and a number of other Asian nations, with 2510 exhibitors on hand covering a total exhibition area of around 28,000 square metres.

These numbers give a sense of the importance of this event, in which Italy’s participation has always played a major role. This year, the feeling is that exhibitors can do even better that last year: the quality of the products and services presented to the public will be of the highest level, offering up a delightfully tasty interlude, bolstering the expectations of Italian food manufacturers to enhance their business prospects.