Imagine an “extraordinarily long snake” of over 7 million kilometres, long enough to get to the Moon and back 10 times or to travel around the equator 190 times: this is the length we would get if we were to line up all the packets of spaghetti, fusilli & co eaten around the world in 2020. We are talking about 17 million tons of pasta, 1 million more than the previous record in 2019 and twice as much as ten years ago. In this perfect embrace, pasta, the ultimate comfort food, has united the world during its most difficult year, helping to warm the hearts of millions of people and to nourish them in a healthy and sustainable way. And once again in 2021, in occasion of World Pasta Day (25 October), pasta makers show their commitment to feeding the planet and reaffirm the symbolic value of getting together and sharing a plate of pasta.
World Pasta Day, an event designed and curated by IPO (International Pasta Organisation) and the Unione Italiana Food, takes place every year on the 25th of October to celebrate and talk about the signature dish of the Mediterranean Diet. This year, for the 23rd edition, it has matched pasta against the important theme of recovering from the pandemic and its repercussions on the economy, employment, and the emotional wellbeing of a large part of society. According to OXFAM, 20 million people have reached extreme levels of food insecurity so far in 2021, bringing the total to 155 million people in 55 countries.
This is how the #Haveagoodpasta initiative aim of showing the “good” side of pasta, the ultimate comfort food that is loved at all latitudes even in its simplest forms. With this action, we aim at reuniting pasta makers and all pasta consumers to express their passion for pasta through a simple online participation: just post a picture of your pasta dish with the hashtag #Haveagoodpasta on your social media profiles before the 25th of October and start being part of our international community of pasta lovers. Each shared photo will be uploaded to the dedicated website “Al Dente” (https://aldente.worldpastaday.org/en/) and will “update” an online counter to show the international belief that pasta represents an important social value.
The potential awareness of #haveagoodpasta is enormous: in only 10 months, from January to October 2021, there have been almost 700,000 conversations with the hashtag #pasta, involving an audience of about 140 million people on social media.
Carl Zuanelli: “Pasta is simplicity, hospitality, sharing, it could be the perfect food to symbolise recovery.”
“During the most difficult months we pasta makers have felt the responsibility of making sure consumers all over the world never run out of pasta”, claims Carl Zuanelli, President of IPO, “with the same sense of responsibility we accompany them on the road to recovery with the daily pleasures of our product: a spaghetti feast with the family, dinner out at a restaurant… paying special attention to those struggling the most: since forever pasta has been made with simple ingredients, it is welcoming and understated like an informal lunch with friends, it is sociable and lively, it is a family tradition that warms us up every day.”
150 chefs take part in the Al Dente initiative with THEIR recipes
This initiative would be nothing without the involvement of chefs and restaurateurs, a category that today, after the enormous difficulties faced last year, represents a true symbol for starting over and getting back to socialising in company. There are 150 international restaurants that have already joined the project with a pasta recipe inspired by #haveagoodpasta that will be added to their menu between the 18th and 25th October and shared on their social media channels to engage their communities. The list of recipes and restaurants involved is available online on “Al Dente” and includes some top gourmet chefs, such as Francesco Aprey, Heinz Beck, Peppe Guide and Niko Romito.
The highlight of the event will, of course, take place on the 25th of October, when the official channels of We Love Pasta and IPO will bring a social marathon to life with tweet ups, Facebook events, photos and Instagram stories. The perfect opportunity to share the love for this signature Mediterranean dish that so often stars on our tables.
Anti-waste pasta, also made anti-crisis through passive cooking
Pasta has always been a sustainable and anti-waste choice. As the protagonist of countless anti-waste and day-after recipes, pasta has an environmental impact (from production to transformation to consumption) of only 1 square metre per portion (i.e. the measurement of the biologically productive area of sea and land necessary to regenerate the resources consumed during production), with an important ecological footprint of just 150 grams of CO2 equivalent. In addition, its packaging materials can be 100% recycled. Through “passive” cooking (cooking pasta indirectly away from heat) or using a pressure cooker (cooking pasta together with its sauce) gas and electricity are saved. In view of the projected increases in electricity costs during the autumn months, these environmental benefits also translate into economic savings for families.
