Agripesca

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Italian foodservice confirms its role as an economic and social engine, with numbers that outline a mature and strategically relevant sector. In 1970, businesses were just under one hundred and fifty-four thousand. Today, the industry counts more than three hundred and twenty-three thousand active establishments. Out-of-home consumption has reached ninety-six billion euros at current prices. This growth has generated employment, strengthened local identity and created a widespread social infrastructure. Bars and restaurants have become a daily backbone of the country.

Eighty years of representation, between memory and current challenges

The recent 2025 Assembly of FIPE-Confcommercio celebrated the Federation’s eightieth anniversary and captured an historic transition: from an artisanal sector to a complex economic system. Italian foodservice has multiplied its formats and service models. Family-run micro-businesses remain the industry’s backbone, but networks, franchising models and specialized concepts are increasingly part of the landscape. The sector now calls for stable policies, regulatory simplification and sustainable labour contracts to avoid dispersing the value built over decades.

Long-term numbers and the new normal

Between 1970 and 2000, out-of-home consumption grew by one hundred and forty-six percent in real terms. From 2000 to 2024, growth has stabilised, signalling a mature market. The ninety-six billion euros recorded today confirm the scale of mass consumption, but the priority is now to protect margins without compromising quality, food safety and employment. Foodservice is entering the era of responsible competitiveness.

Productivity, supply chains and human capital

Competitiveness relies on digitalisation, transparency and training. Process efficiency, supply chain traceability and the expansion of professional skills determine long-term value. In this context, Italian foodservice has developed an increasingly close connection with national production chains, including the seafood sector, which supplies fresh and processed products essential for menus and Mediterranean cuisine. Attention to sustainability, local species and certified origin has become a key differentiating factor for businesses and consumers alike.

Social value as industrial policy

Bars and restaurants keep neighbourhoods alive. They support inclusion, strengthen perceived safety and act as cultural touchpoints. This social value now requires regulatory recognition. Incentives are needed for operators who invest in quality, legality, welfare and sustainability. Moreover, the sector must be aligned with tourism, culture and agrifood, acknowledging Italian foodservice as a national infrastructure.

Seafood and foodservice: an identity-based relationship

Seafood consumption in out-of-home venues is now a stable component of Italy’s gastronomic offering. From traditional seaside trattorias to gourmet restaurants, fish is a symbol of freshness and local identity. Italian foodservice enhances the sea as a cultural and culinary heritage, supporting local fisheries and aquaculture. A synergy that, more than quantity, expresses quality and Mediterranean identity.

Outlook: from volume to value

The cycle of quantitative expansion has ended. What matters now is the value created for workers, suppliers and communities. Product innovation, service evolution and organisational improvements can enhance profitability and reputation. Italian foodservice possesses the assets to lead this transition, but it requires coordinated governance and shared vision. Only with this approach can out-of-home dining remain one of the country’s strongest and most representative social infrastructures.

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L’articolo Italy’s Foodservice Sector Enters a New Mature Phase proviene da Pesceinrete.

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The reduction of reporting obligations and due diligence requirements approved by the European Parliament opens a complex scenario for the blue economy and the seafood value chain. The negotiating position adopted aims to simplify compliance, restricting the obligations to very large enterprises. Yet the indirect effects on the fish sector remain significant and require careful evaluation.

Sustainability reporting duties will apply only to companies with more than 1,750 employees and revenue above €450 million, while mandatory due diligence will concern only groups exceeding 5,000 employees and €1.5 billion in turnover. Most seafood companies—largely composed of SMEs—therefore remain outside the strict regulatory perimeter, but they are not outside the arena of market expectations.

What sustainability reporting really means

Sustainability reporting is an organic system of information on a company’s environmental, social and governance impacts. It is more than a descriptive document: it becomes a genuine non-financial statement alongside the financial accounts. The company reports how it uses natural resources, energy and water, how it manages emissions and waste, and which policies it adopts for safety, welfare and equal treatment.

In the seafood sector these elements relate to fishing effort, stock protection, impact management in aquaculture, traceability of raw materials, animal welfare and working conditions along the value chain. The reduction in mandatory requirements does not eliminate these needs; it simply shifts the focus toward a voluntary approach driven largely by markets and institutional buyers.

Due diligence: from legislation to the seafood chain

Due diligence is the process through which a company identifies, prevents and mitigates its negative impacts on people and the environment throughout the supply chain. In the seafood sector this means assessing how species are caught or farmed, the working conditions on board vessels and at processing plants, and the environmental and social risks emerging at landing ports, in transformation and in logistics.

With the regulatory lightening, obligations apply only to a small number of large enterprises. Nevertheless, these companies will continue requiring robust guarantees from all suppliers—especially when dealing with seafood sourced from third countries or complex supply chains. The cascade effect of due diligence therefore remains constant even within a softer regulatory framework.

Higher thresholds and simplified obligations: what changes

The increased thresholds sharply reduce the number of companies subject to mandatory rules. Sector-specific reporting becomes voluntary and standards will be simplified, with fewer qualitative requirements and more flexibility for SMEs, which cannot be overburdened by large commercial partners.

On the due diligence front, the requirement to draw up a transition plan aligned with the Paris Agreement has been removed. Liability for violations falls to national systems, with sanctions defined by Member States. For the seafood sector, this means a lighter administrative burden but also a potential slowing of the alignment between legal obligations and established ESG practices.

Opportunities and risks for the seafood value chain

For small and medium-sized seafood companies, the reduction of reporting and due diligence duties is an administrative relief. However, key European markets will continue to demand solid data on catch origin, working conditions, traceability and environmental impacts. Buyers operating under internal ESG policies or within large-scale retail will maintain high standards even without strict legal requirements.

For this reason, investing in traceability systems, data management and integrated reporting can become a competitive advantage. Those who choose a minimal approach risk losing space in international value chains.

The EU digital portal as a resource for the maritime economy

The creation of a single EU digital portal with guidelines, templates and information on reporting requirements—part of the simplification package the European Parliament intends to introduce—may offer an important opportunity. Even if many operators will not be subject to mandatory reporting, free tools can support the production of credible, market-aligned reports.

Consortia, producer organisations and industry associations can use this platform to guide companies through lighter yet structured sustainability pathways, strengthening the overall competitiveness of the sector.

Next steps and the strategy the sector needs

The position approved by the European Parliament now opens negotiations with the Council and Commission, with the aim of finalising legislation by the end of 2025. The seafood sector can use this transition phase to reinforce systems for traceability, data collection and management of environmental and social impacts.

Sustainability is no longer merely a matter of legal obligation but a central lever of positioning and reputation. The industry will be more competitive if it can tell—and above all demonstrate—the quality of its practices at sea and on land.

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L’articolo EU reporting & due diligence reform: impacts on seafood proviene da Pesceinrete.

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