Cured meats conquer overseas markets: +5,4 in volume and +4,9 in value

The cured meats and pork sector is a leading force in the national agri-food industry. Taken together, company turnover exceeds 13,5 billion euros.

A very stable livestock heritage

The integration of farming, processing and production is highly pronounced, with geographically indicated cured meats (44 of which 21 PDO and 23 PGI) accounting for more than 23% of the value generated by denomination-protected food products, confirming the role of pig farming as an asset.

In 2025, the national pig herd remains fundamentally stable, at almost 7,8 million head, while our supply manages to meet around 60% of domestic demand for pork and pork preparations.

According to Ismea, which devoted an in-depth “market profile” to the sector, this is typical of a supply chain in which the processing component (worth more than 9,6 billion compared with approximately 4 for the agricultural phase) requires large quantities of raw material.

Industrial demand is partly unmet and therefore requires imports, particularly fresh and frozen meat, but also, to a much lesser extent, live animals and preparations.

The price of imports eases

Meat (2.649 million euros) accounts, at 2025 values, for 84% of the sector’s total foreign purchases, while the deficit in our supply chain is mainly linked to fresh legs intended for processing.

In 2025, thanks to supplies that have become more affordable, imports increased by 6,5% in quantity, against a fall in expenditure (-5,2% in value).

In order, Germany and Spain (56% of the total share by volume) were confirmed last year as the top two supplying countries, with both recording volume growth of 13% compared with 2024. The role of the Netherlands was also significant, with a 16% share.

As mentioned, inflows of preparations and preserved products (332 million euros) and live animals (104 million) were smaller, but nevertheless helped form a total of 3 billion and 85 million euros.

Trade flows point to an improving picture: the trade balance reduces the deficit to 510 million euros compared with 2024, thanks to record exports of more than 2,6 billion euros, mainly due to cured meats, which are strengthening their international presence with rising volumes as well.

Raw cured meats lead abroad

“Italy – Ismea writes – is the world’s leading exporter of matured pork preserves, with an established position in the main purchasing markets worldwide. In 2025 Italian cured meats generated overseas turnover exceeding 2,4 billion euros (+4,9% compared with 2024), with volumes growing even faster (+5,4%)”.

Turning to value, the 80% is represented by boneless hams and sausages (sausages, salami and so on), which recorded increases abroad of 2,8 and 5,8%, respectively.

Very well placed at 11,1% are mortadella and frankfurters, the latter being, naturally, subject to strong international competition. Cooked ham ranks fourth.

Domestic consumption favours meat and, among cured meats, cooked ham

Consumption: here too, there are positive signs. “In 2025 – the report states – spending on meat grew overall by 7,2% compared with the previous year, to a greater extent than the average for the Italian shopping basket. Pork recorded an increase of 5%, while for cured meats the change stood at +2,5%”.

In terms of purchasing volume, apart from the undifferentiated “other cured meats” category (38%), cooked ham is by far the best seller (23%, with the same figure in value), with a share almost twice that of raw cured ham (12% by quantity and 19% by value), owing to its affordability. Salami remains very popular, with very similar figures for volume and value (11 and 12%).

The European outlook, Ismea concludes, shows further favourable signs, with EU pork production growing by 3,7% in 2025 and a positive trend also in the first quarter of 2026 (+2,7% in carcass weight).

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This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.