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Quote:

From The Telegraph
London, UK
25 May, 2017

Britain's spiralizing obsession is killing pasta sales

The rise of the spiralizer is putting an end to Britain's love affair with pasta, new data shows.

A study by consumer analysts at Mintel found UK pasta sales have sunk to a record low, with consumption predicted to fall further over the next three years.

The dish' s decline is the result of a boom in spirallizing vegetables, which sees consumers creating pasta-like dishes from courgettes, carrots and squash.

The idea if that the long strands of vegetable look like spaghetti, but contain less carbohydrate and calories while boasting more nutrients.

In the UK nearly a quarter of adults are limiting their carbohydrate intake for health reasons, while one fifth regularly substitute pasta, rice and noodles with vegetables in the style of familiar carbohydrates, Mintel found.

Sprializing was first made popular by health-focussed celebrity chefs like Deliciously Ella and the Hemsley sisters, who published recipes in which spaghetti was substituted for courgetti.

In the UK volumes of pasta bought by shoppers has fallen by 60,000 tonnes over the past seven years, from 410,000 tonnes in 2009 to 350,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes expected to be sold this year.

Pasta has been at the heart of Italian cooking for centuries but the data shows that demand for pasta has even fallen in Italy, where almost a quarter of consumers admit that they are limiting the amount they eat for health reasons.

While Italians still consume the biggest volume of pasta per head globally, they are cutting back on this traditional staple. Per head consumption fell to 15.2 kg in 2016, down from 17.0 kg in 2011, Mintel found.

Jodie Minotto, global food and drink analyst at Mintel, said: “Health concerns over carbohydrate intake continue to plague sales of pasta, especially in Italy where retail sales have been in constant decline every year since 2009.

The rising popularity of protein and the resurgence of low carb diets have made for a challenging environment for pasta, which is being shunned in favour of foods perceived to be healthier or more supportive of weight management efforts. New product development centred on positive nutrition and tapping into the ongoing interest in gluten-free food will help to polish pasta’s image.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ng-pasta-sales/