Pasta

Pasta is not only one of the most popular foods in the world as many cultures have their own variations of it, but also one of the most accessible foods. Great advantage of private label pasta is that it can be mass produced for a cheap price and profit margins are significantly higher. Also, shelf life of unopened pasta is approximately two years and that creates great commercial opportunity. Many consumers worldwide are demanding organic, healthier food products, which opens doors of healthy food market for companies that want to contract private label manufacturers. Pasta is traditionally made from wheat flour and water, but sometimes has additional ingredients if pasta is to be flavored eggs, vegetable juices, and herbs are added. Gluten is protein normally found in wheat and many people nowadays developed intolerance to gluten, so gluten free pasta is rising in demand as well, which creates a bigger platform for developing new and individual products to cater to these specific customers.

The largest consumers of pasta are Italians, as it is the staple of Italian cuisine, and average person eats 27kg of pasta per year. Being the main ingredient of many traditional dishes, individual consumption of pasta in Italy exceeds the average production of wheat, thus Italians regularly import wheat for pasta production. Italy is also the biggest producer and exporter of pasta worldwide. In 2015. They produced 3 million tons of pasta, followed by USA with 2 million and Turkey with 1.3 million tons. In the same year the largest consumers were Italians, Tunisians and Venezuelans. When cooked, plain pasta contains water, carbohydrates and unremarkable percentage of protein and fat. It has a lower glycemic index than many other staple foods like bread, potatoes, and rice.