The environmental sustainability of pasta is the subject of a recent scientific study, published in ‘Resources’. Researchers from the Universities of Florence and Rome examined two production chains, comparing ancient and modern grains. What horizons?
A world of Italian pasta
Pasta consumption worldwide has nearly doubled, from 9 to 15 million tons per year in the last decade. And Italy – where this food is regularly consumed by 9 out of 10 people, daily by 1 out of 3 – plays a leading role globally. Not only for per capita consumption (23 kg/year, followed by 16 in Tunisia, 12 in Venezuela, and 11.2 in Greece), but also for manufacturing and export. So much so that almost a quarter of the pasta consumed on the planet to date is Made in Italy.
The Italian production of pasta actually reached 3.4 million tons in 2018. With a remarkable export share (58%, almost 2 million tons). And Italy is also the leading producer of durum wheat in the European Union, with 1.28 million hectares cultivated.
Agricultural production nationally, however, is not yet able to guarantee the self-sufficiency of the supply chain. Against an industrial demand of 5.6 million tons/year of durum wheat and a production that over the last 5 years has averaged around 4 million tons (data from Italmopa, Association of Italian Millers).
100% Italian pasta, a world in the making
The demand of food products from 100% supply chains Made in Italy is also growing strongly, as shown by theImmagino Observatory 2018 (GS1-Italy) and the Coop Italy report 2019.
100% Italian pasta is also destined to attract growing interest internationally. Especially in Europe, thanks to Regulation (EU) 2018/775 which – effective from 1.4.20 – requires labeling the origin or provenance of the primary ingredient, where it differs from the indicated country of production. (2)
Sustainable production and consumption, the case of pasta
The #WorldPastaDay, at its 21st edition on 25.10.19, was dedicated to al dente cooking. A topic good for every era and circumstance, yet also futile and irrelevant. Especially now, in the presence of 'hot topics' such as:
- sensational growth of global pasta consumption,
- surge in demand for short supply chain products,
- new EU rules on labeling the primary ingredient,
- mistrust towards wheat from Canada due to glyphosate allowed there in the pre-harvest phase,
- growing attention towards the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, in the UN 2030 Agenda.
How to achieve Sustainable Development Goal no. 12, Sustainable Production and Consumption? How can the pasta supply chain contribute to the achievement of other SDGs? How can this supply chain be transformed so that it becomes ‘part of the solution’ rather than ‘part of the problem’ of climate change?
Environmental sustainability is the real issue to address, considering energy and water consumption, waste production, CO2 emissions generated by production and transport, maintaining biodiversity and soil quality. More generally, sustainability can be understood as the ability to preserve favorable environmental, social, and economic conditions in the long term.
Environmental footprint of pasta, local ‘ancient’ grains vs. international ‘modern’ grains compared. The scientific study
The scientific study published on Resources', by a research group from the Universities of Rome and Florence, is dedicated precisely to the 'Environmental Sustainability of Pasta Production Chains: An Integrated Approach for Comparing Local and Global Chains'. (3) The researchers measured the environmental footprint of two production chains. The first uses semolina from ‘ancient’ grains (Senatore Cappelli variety) and traditional techniques, the second uses ‘modern’ grains from national and foreign origin, as well as industrial processes.
The research was conducted using an integrated method of analysis, based on EIAN (Environmental Impacts ANalysis) and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). To measure the environmental footprint of the chains – from sowing to consumption, without neglecting intermediate phases (storage and logistics) – on soil, water, air, natural resources, and climate change. Ancient grains are confirmed to be more ecological, thanks to lower fertilizer consumption and lower levels of mechanization.
A previous research had already shown how the cultivation of ancient grains with organic system even has a negative carbon footprint. This work, in turn, shows how the production of 1 kg of dry pasta, depending on the case, requires:
– 1.706 kg of CO2e, 13.7 MJ of fossil energy, 0.206 kg of non-renewable resources, for pasta from ancient grains and traditional techniques,
– 1.765 kg of CO2eq, 14.3 MJ of fossil energy, 0.152 kg of non-renewable energy for pasta from modern wheats of various origins.
Ancient grains are distinguished above all by reducing the risk of soil degradation and maintaining the agrobiodiversity that their cultivation ensures, confirm the researchers. Even if their yield is lower and this requires the use of larger areas and more water – compared to modern cultivars – to obtain the same quantities of pasta.
Sustainable pasta, what horizons?
15 years ago Over the course of a decade, however, this false rhetoric was replaced byenhancement of Italian wheat pasta (by the same Barilla group, with the Voiello brand).
The imports of durum wheat from Canada have collapsed. Because even the large pasta industries, with rare exceptions, have finally understood the trend that the GDO (Large Organized Distribution) had timely intercepted. That is, consumers' interest in 100% Italian pasta, strictly without glyphosate. And without those mycotoxins, mutagenic and carcinogenic, that find an ideal environment for proliferation in the holds of ships used for transporting grains.
The new horizon of pasta in Italy is a return to origins, with guarantees offered by innovation. Ancient grains genetically characterized, grown with organic methods – which continues to grow – and traced with a system of blockchain public (e.g. Wiise Chain).
Fair and sustainable supply chains, biodiversity and respect for ecosystems and those who inhabit them. At affordable prices, without giving up recognizing the efforts of those committed to a ‘good and fair’ supply chain. A matter of common sense and efficiency.
Dario Dongo and Paolo Caruso
Notes
(1) Lucia Recchia, Alessio Cappelli, Enrico Cini, Francesco Pegna, Paolo Boncinelli. (2019). Environmental Sustainability of Pasta Production Chains: An Integrated Approach for Comparing Local and Global Chains. Resources. 8. 56. 10.3390/resources8010056
(2) The author renamed ‘Origin Planet Earth’ the EU regulation 2018/775, due to the generic nature of the allowed indications (up to ‘EU/non-EU’, Origin Planet Earth indeed) and unjustified exemptions. In favor of geographical indications contained in trademarks, PGI, organic products. In any case, its application allows easy distinction between pasta from foreign wheat and that 1 easily distinguishable
(3) See note 1
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
Paolo Caruso, agronomist, collaborates with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Catania, Agronomy and Herbaceous Crops section. Researcher on ancient Sicilian wheat.
