How much is fertile soil worth? How much does it cost the farm to guarantee clean water to the community or preserve biodiversity? For years, in public and scientific debate, people have talked about 'ecosystem services', trying to measure those invisible but essential benefits that environmentally respectful agriculture gives to all of us. Now, for the first time in Italy, a large retail chain has decided to make this value tangible, putting it black on white on the price tag.
NaturaSì, the first Italian chain of organic and biodynamic stores, launched the 2026 campaign titled ‘The right price of food for the health of man and the Earth’. After experimenting last year with the ‘transparency’ on supply chain costs, the company takes a further step, perhaps the most revolutionary: to make explicit how much more it pays farmers not only for the product itself, but for their role as ‘guardians of the Planet’.
A concrete example: lettuce and its 67 ‘green’ cents
The mechanism is simple and disruptive. Let’s take the case oforganic lettuce. The production cost, including agricultural labor, cultivation, packaging, and quality control, amounts to 1.33 euros per kilo. Well, NaturaSì pays the producer 2 euros per kilo. The difference, equal to 67 cents, is not just an additional profit margin, but is identified and communicated as the compensation for ecosystem services guaranteed by that agriculture.
The same goes for organic fennels: against a production cost of 1.25 euros per kg, the brand recognizes the farmer 1.80 euros, with an extra 55 cents.
Starting from March 2026, in all 350 NaturaSì stores in Italy, next to the final price of these and other products, consumers will find a clear indication of this share, that 'organic supplement' which goes directly to those who, with their daily work, produce clean air, counteract the climate crisis, and keep the soil fertile.
Why pay more? The science behind the price tag
‘To last year’s transparency – explains Fabio Brescacin, President of NaturaSì – we have added a breakdown of the compensation we guarantee to the farmer, distinguishing the price paid for the product from that paid for ecosystem services, such as maintaining soil fertility, respecting biodiversity, human health, and landscape protection’.
The initiative does not arise out of nowhere but is based on solid scientific foundations. Environmental economics has long studied the value of ecosystem services. Classic studies, such as those by Robert Costanza, have estimated that their global value far exceeds the global GDP, reaching figures on the order of 150 trillion dollars. In Italy, according to a study published in Ecological Indicators, the value of benefits provided every year by ecosystems amounts to about 71.3 billion euros.
Based on data, this is a natural capital that we risk losing. The same study highlights how between 1990 and 2000 some Italian provinces lost up to 7.5% of their capacity to protect against harmful events and 9.5% of pollutant assimilation. TheISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) goes further, emphasizing that the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services is also a risk factor for human health, facilitating the transmission of diseases.
A campaign to raise public awareness
To spread this new awareness, NaturaSì organized two launch events. The first was held on February 25 in Rome, with the participation of academics such as Francesco Marangon (University of Udine), representatives of the production world like Luca Niro from the Apulian farm Posta Faugno, and international personalities such as Helmy Abouleish, CEO of the Egyptian community project Sekem, winner of the UNEP Champions of the Earth 2024 award.
On February 27th the event moved to Milan, in an evening open to the public and animated by the actor Giovanni Storti. A moment of dialogue to involve not only industry insiders but also consumers, producers, and cooperatives, to discuss together the future of an agriculture that truly wants to be sustainable.
Beyond the low price: an investment in the future
The campaign’s goal is ambitious and cultural: to concretely apply the international approach of True Cost of Food (the true cost of food), which considers not only production expenses but also environmental and social impacts (or benefits).
‘These are values that are good to know – continues Brescacin – to understand that, by purchasing a product biodynamic or organic, one invests not only in the product itself but also on one's own health and that of the environment. At the same time, it is important to be aware that by paying too low a price, someone or something else will pay the price‘.
In a world where Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are becoming a globally recognized tool, and where Europe is pushing towards nature restoration, NaturaSì's initiative acts as a bridge between theory and practice. It is an invitation to look at the price tag with new eyes, understanding that every purchase is a vote for the model of the world we want to live in: a world where the price of food finally tells its true value.
Marta Strinati
Professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of journalistic investigations on food, she published the book 'Reading Labels to Know What We Eat'.
