Dietary and lifestyle habits of Italians. ‘Without’, ‘veg‘, ‘ready immediately’. II Eurispes report  Italy 2020 confirms – with a consolidated sociological survey – some data already emerged in the GS1 analysis-Italy, Observatory I imagine 2019-2, on sales of 106 thousand shelf references of large-scale retail. The ‘new’ lifestyles do not however solve the most serious health emergency for our country, childhood overweight and obesity.

Veg, vegetarian and vegan. 8.9%

The veg front in Italy represents 8.9% of the sample of citizens interviewed by Eurispes. This category of consumers is mostly composed of vegetarians (6.7%), with a smaller proportion of vegans (2.2%). Additionally, there is 6.3% of former vegetarians.

The motivations are broader and more varied than one might think:

– 56.6% of veg chose to adhere to a vegetarian or vegan diet ‘for health and well-being’ individual (23.2%), for dietary aspirations (‘eat less and better’, 19.2%), ‘out of curiosity’ (9.1%) or ‘to contribute to the protection and safeguarding of the environment’ (5.1%),

– 39.4% instead gives up the omnivorous diet for ‘love and respect towards the animal world’ (22.2%), but also because ‘the dietary style is an integral part of a broader philosophy of life’ (17.2%).

‘Free from’, food supplements

Attention to diet is expressed by Italians with consumption choices that often diverge from actual health needs, as well as from nutritional recommendations offered by the public health system. Thus continue to establish themselves, in dietary and lifestyle habits, the trends of free from’ like the ‘gluten free’ (14.6%) and the ‘lactose free’.

These phenomena market phenomena are induced by a  Viral Deception, a viral deception about the benefits – completely unproven – that would result from removing such substances from the diet of those not intolerant based on an official diagnosis.

Dietary supplements are also widespread, in 16.3% of the consumption habits of respondents. And this is a more complex phenomenon to analyze, in the absence of disaggregated statistical data. The supplements category includes multivitamins and multiminerals, as well as specific supplements often suggested by general practitioners for covering nutritional needs as well as prevention or support of treatments for certain pathologies. Not to mention the so-called  botanicals, whose use is rooted in herbal tradition.

Food delivery e Ready-to-Eat

Food delivery and ready meals, Food delivery e Ready-to-Eat, have in turn become part of the life of most Italians. According to Eurispes:

– 54%  of Italians buy food delivery (sometimes 37.1%, often 15.1%, always 1.8%). Young and very young people drive the market (81% aged 18-24, 63.3% in the 25-34 age group),

– 70.3% in total purchase takeaway foods. The “busy life” also seems to explain the spread of fast, industrial and ready food, which does not require great effort in the kitchen.

‘Many are those who buy on supermarket and large-scale organized retail shelves industrial products that require a few minutes to be ready [so-called Ready-to-Eat, ed], altogether almost 62% (41.3% do it sometimes, 16% often, and 4.6% always).’ (1)

Immagino Observatory, the numbers of  lifestyle

The Immagino Observatory (Oi) of GS1-Italy once again, as already in 2019, confirms the trends outlined by Eurispes through the snapshot of products and their shelf rotations. The Observatory's analysis places in the category lifestyle:

– the references  veg, as they report label statements such as ‘suitable for a vegetarian lifestyle’, ‘suitable for a vegan lifestyle’ or a logo of equivalent meaning (e.g. VeganOK),

– other ‘identity’ products such as organic, halal and kosher.

Over 10 thousand products  in total, equal to 13.8% of the offer. With over 2.7 million euros in sales, still growing (+3.7% between June ‘18 and June ‘19), albeit at a slower pace compared to the previous report (+8.9%). The  veg advances more steadily (+5.1%, after +7.4% the year before) and accounts for 5% of the total references considered.

‘Gluten-free’ e ‘lactose-free’ ‘they are now a regular presence in the shopping cart of Italians’, Immagino further highlights. Incredible as it may seem, references so marked represent 13.3% of the offer and 14.4% of the turnover of the food basket (excluding water and alcohol). Sales values – €3.6 billion for about 9 thousand products (+1.9%) – also confirm, as we have already noted, the extent of speculations on such categories of goods.

Childhood obesity and overweight

Childhood obesity and overweight continue to rage. With a growing prevalence – 21.3% overweight, 9.3% obesity – compared to previously reported by Istat and theItalian Obesity Barometer Report (IOBR).

Young people in Italy are exposed to the risk of an epidemic of serious and chronic diseases (Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs). In this topsy-turvy Europe, the former standard-bearers of the Mediterranean diet have become champions of dietary imbalance. Italy ranks second for the prevalence of male childhood obesity (21%) and fourth for female childhood obesity (14%).

The main causes  of overweight and obesity, it goes without saying, are ‘incorrect eating habits, a large consumption of simple carbohydrates  [i.e. sugars, ed.]  and meat [?],  to which is added the consumption of poorly natural products, high in calories and low in nutritional value (33% consume an inappropriate breakfast and 36% regularly consume soft drinks from an early age)’. Sic!

Dario Dongo e Sabrina Bergamini

Notes

(1) Eurispes Report, 32nd Italy Report, 30.1.20. Press release and full research on https://eurispes.eu/news/eurispes-risultati-del-rapporto-italia-2020/

(2) GS1-Italy, Immagino Observatory Oi 2019 – 2, on  https://osservatorioimmagino.it/