After such a long wait, it now seems that things are bouncing back this year. The signs were already there at last October’s edition of HostMilano, which certainly demonstrated a return to life as we knew it. People are travelling again and they are also eating out more.

A study conducted by Euromonitor for The Fork found that foodservice accounts for a large slice of economies around Europe (worth a total of 326.4 billion euros in 2019), with Italy recording a total value of 78.5 billion euros in 2019. And even though Covid led to a contraction in activity between 2019 and 2020 (of 38% at European level and of 36% in Italy), 2021 saw a notable recovery, with a growth of 23% for both. On top of that, growth forecasts for foodservice are positive and are expected to grow by an average of +8% in both Europe and Italy between now and 2025, despite the still quite complex economic context in which these developments are taking place.

At the forefront of the revival are full-service restaurants (worth 97 billion euros in Europe in 2021, and 31 billion euros in Italy alone), although fast food, takeaway and food delivery services gained between 8 and 10 percentage points between 2007 and 2021.

There is also a growing interest in sustainable development and locally grown food. Here, Euromonitor found that in 2021 26% of Europeans (and no less than 36% of Italians) said that they try to make food choices that are sustainable, while 13% and 9% of Europeans and Italians respectively said they are willing to pay more for sustainable products.

Innovation, sustainability and hybridisation between sectors will continue to be the big protagonists of the industry. The date with the future is the 43rd edition of HostMilano, at Fieramilano Rho from 13 to 17 October 2023, where all the Horeca categories will be on show: Professional Catering, Bakery, Pizza, Pasta, Coffee, Tea, Bars, Coffee Machines, Vending Machines, Gelato and Pastry, Furnishings, Technology and Tableware.