However, there has been a shift in the public's perception of pasta due to research by food nutritionists and product promotion by pasta manufacturers. Pasta is currently considered one of the foods which complements a healthy, active lifestyle. Modern food science has revealed that pasta is high in minerals such as iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B1 and B2 and very easily digested. Pasta provides good value for the dollar and dry pasta has a long shelf life. Pasta is very easy to prepare and it can be consumed in many different ways as a salad, a side dish, a main course or a dessert.
Several factors are responsible for the growth in per capita consumption of pasta.
Convenience, versatility, nutritious value and economic appeal in terms of price and storability. The demand for convenient, easy to prepare, foods has increased because of more two income families, growth in single income families and more women in the labor force. About 75 per cent of women between 35 and 50 years of age work outside of their homes today, compared to 45 per cent in 1970. The growth in consumption is also due, in part, to innovative marketing and packaging by manufacturers targeting the convenience and healthy aspects of pasta. Over the same period, domestic pasta production averaged about 133,000 t annually, peaking at 136,415 t in 1993.