Covid, Assobibe: the beverage supply chain together to face restart challenges

An opportunity for comparison between the acronyms of the Beverage, Distribution and Agriculture sector on the state of the market and on the hypothesis of recovery: this is the result of the Assobibe Assembly, Association of Confindustria that represents producers of soft drinks, entitled ” Between Covid and restart: expectations to relaunch the internal market ”which was held today at the Confindustria headquarters in Rome. The round table organized by Assobibe was attended by the President of Federvini Micaela Pallini, the president of Mineracqua Enrico Zoppas, the President of Assobirra Michele Cason, the President of Fipe Lino Enrico Stoppani, the President of Italgrob Vincenzo Caso, representing a total of 350 thousand companies, for a total turnover of 141.3 billion euros (Source: data processing provided by the Associations), together with Massimiliano Giansanti, President of Confagricoltura. Therefore, their desire to take a timely photograph and try to trace, together, the path for the restart of a sector that has greatly changed during the pandemic in terms of consumption, further penalized by the closures of the Ho.Re.Ca channel, takes on even more value. the decline in tourism and the spread of smart working which has reduced the lunch break away from home. Joining forces and working together for the restart was also the hope that the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Stefano Patuanelli expressed in his opening greeting, reaffirming the fundamental role of the Mipaaf-Mise axis in support of the companies of the agricultural and agro-industrial sector with a view to common development, safeguarding the specificities of the sector, to make the food and beverage supply chain more sustainable and competitive. The minister then recalled the attention, typical of Made in Italy, reserved for the differentiation of the offer and the wholesomeness and distinctiveness of the product up to the innovation of production and distribution processes. “Despite the effects of the pandemic, companies have continued to invest in the future, in product and process innovation, rolling up their sleeves and collaborating with the supply chain, from the field to the consumer – declares Giangiacomo Pierini, president of Assobibe -. There have been new obstacles, some unforeseen ones, but this is a sector that wants and can get up again, as long as it is put in a position to do so. The companies that we have brought together today share critical issues and objectives, and just want to be able to work on relaunching the market without new taxes on the food sector. The Government should support, not penalize, consumption “. At the end of the reflections, as recalled in his speech by the President of Confindustria Carlo Bonomi, the impact that new restrictive measures such as Sugar and Plastic tax would have on a strategic sector for the country: it is their elimination is necessary to avoid draining the resources necessary for innovation, with significant consequences on direct and indirect employment and on the equilibrium of the sector of the supply chain. It is also essential that industrial policies are developed to support investments in innovation, avoiding taxes and bans that weaken the industrial base, the real engine for the country’s sustainable development. “We expect a lot in the coming months, thanks to the summer season and the effects of the vaccination campaign that will lead to a return, albeit gradual and cautious, to normality. There are still too many variables on the future, in an uncertain macroeconomic scenario and on which the risk of a drop in the propensity to spend hangs in the event of an increase in taxation and taxation. To date, thanks to the fundamental support of the supply chain and trade unions, we have managed to avert a danger that will cost companies 320 million a year, according to Mef estimates – concludes Giangiacomo Pierini -. The companies that make up the beverage sector need measures that expand the market, not new taxes that penalize them. We ask politics for certainties, to put ourselves in a position to be able to imagine and plan a future. We want to work on shared strategies for restarting, if we are deprived of the resources to be able to do so, we are deprived of oxygen “.