American Industry Overview: Macaroni, Spaghetti, Vermicelli and Noodles
Industry Snapshot
The dry pasta industry was a primary victim of the low-carbohydrate diet trend of the early twenty-first century. In the two decades from 1975 to 1995, Americans had increased their pasta consumption by 90 percent. Pasta was manufactured almost exclusively in the United States from durum semolina wheat. A growing consumer preference for nutritious, low-fat foods boosted the growth of the industry, nearly doubling mean annual per capita consumption between 1975 and 1995 to 24 pounds. In 1995, the typical consumer ate pasta an average of 2.7 times a week....