The food consumption trends of Italians are analyzed in the ninth edition of the Immagino Observatory 1/2021 by GS1 Italy and Nielsen. The report describes the trends of over 120,000 items distributed in Italian supermarkets and hypermarkets in 2020.
Immagino Observatory, the trend sustainable consumption
From animal welfare to the environmental and social impact of food production, the call for sustainability is the dominant theme on product labels. Consumers seek it and industry and distribution operators respond. (1)
References to 'sustainability' are present on the labels of 22% of the products monitored by the Immagino Observatory in 2020. And to these claim, as we will see, an increase in turnover of 7.6% is attributed, for a total value of 10 billion euros.
‘antibiotic-free', sales doubled in two years
I free from represent 25% of sales of the Immagino food basket. With a vertical growth of animal origin products 'antibiotic-free', whose sales have doubled in two years (+41.3% 2020 over 2019, +60% the previous year). 153 items including cold cuts, chicken, frozen fish, but above all eggs.
‘free from' and 'clean label’
On the rise, following, the 'without polyphosphates‘ (+12.6%), ‘without glutamate‘ and ‘not fried‘ (both +10.5%), ‘without aspartame‘ (+10%) and ‘without additives’ (+7.9%). Consumers confirm greater attention towards health and the so-called clean label. So:
– ‘without preservatives‘ is present in 5.8% of products, with a sales share of 9.2%,
– ‘without palm oil‘, already a sector champion, continues to establish itself (+2.3% sales). Especially on pastry products, fourth processing poultry, long-life bread and rolls.
– ‘without colorants‘, +2% sales, is particularly sought after in breakfast cereals, frozen ready fish, biscuits and fruit-flavored drinks. Rightly so, when it comes to synthetic colorants.
Gluten-free and ‘lactose-free’
In the segment of the free from dedicated to people with food intolerances, the two continue to stand out claim ‘gluten-free‘ and ‘lactose-free‘, whose products exceed 4 billion euros in sales:
– ‘gluten-free‘ is on 8,363 references and records +5% in sales. Cold cuts, beef-based preparations and mayonnaise are growing. ‘Crossed grain’, the gluten free certified by AIC (Italian Celiac Association), in turn advancing by 3.9%,
– ‘lactose-free‘ sales grow even more, +6.7%. Cold cuts, sausages, milk substitute drinks and fermented milk/kefir are lactose-free on the rise.
Rich in. Omega 3, proteins, fibers
Among the claim ‘Rich in‘ – turnover of 3.4 billion euros in 2020, +4.6% – particularly stand out
– ‘Omega 3‘ (+10.1%) on salmon and frozen fish,
– ‘proteins‘ (+9.4%) on sliced cold cuts, Greek yogurt, fermented milk, rusks, and natural frozen fish,
– ‘lactic ferments‘ (+6%) on mozzarellas, fermented milk/kefir, crescenza cheese and yogurt.
I Rich in more solid those related to fibers remain. With a 3.7% share of total sales of food, this claim increases sales by 4.3%, markedly on enriched rusks, frozen vegetables, ready soups and purees, ready vegetable dishes and croquettes.
Related to the good presence of fibers, the claim ‘whole‘ continues to increase sales, 3.1%, especially for breakfast cereals, flours/blends, and biscuits.
Good finally the claim which indicate the presence of iodine (+8%) on frozen fish, poultry preparations and tomato puree, and zinc (+3.5%), shelled nuts, kefir and UHT milk. Declining is the trend of claim ‘magnesium‘, linked to the decline in sales of shelled nuts, flavored waters, snack sweets and snacks (-2.3%).
Lifestyle at the table. Organic surpasses all
Organic stands out among identity products, chosen because consistent with a lifestyle. The organic logo appears on almost 8 thousand items – 9.4% of products food recorded by Immagino – and pushes sales by +2.9% annually, well beyond the 2.1% of 2019.
The ‘bio-safe-haven’, as emerges from the Food special, in 2020 concerns flours, eggs, jams, milk substitute drinks, and frozen vegetables. The Immagino Observatory does not consider channels other than the GDO, such as specialized stores and direct deliveries, which also recorded significant growth.
Vegetarians and vegans in turn increase sales, +10.4% and +9.5% respectively. And the same appeal Veg enjoys a lively approval (+8.7%). Foods compliant with kosher (Jewish religion) and halal (Islam) rules, finally, record increases of +7.3 and +5%.
Fairtrade, tricolor
The reference to certifications and logo, on a voluntary basis, is a constantly and rapidly evolving phenomenon. Operators also try in this way to express the added value of the products:
– Fairtrade, the fair trade certification, is present on 236 references and drives a growth of 10.1%. Absolute victory for fair trade and organic bananas, free from pesticides that instead penetrate the peel of conventional fruits,
– Friend of the Sea is present on 516 references and acts as a driver for sales of canned tuna and other fish preserves (+6.1%),
– the Italian tricolor continues the shelf climb, +6% turnover on food sales,
Also the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) waved on the label nears 4.2 billion euros (+5.3%), although often it is mere greenwashing.
Ingredients of appeal health appeal, the avocado case
The sale of foods considered beneficial or containing ingredients with such a reputation slows down overall with an increase of just 0.9%, against 2.7 in 2019. Seeds (+10.9%) lead the sector – with a surge for sesame (+32.5%) and pumpkin (+14.4%). Conversely, hemp declines (-6.4%).
In positive also the superfruits (+2.1%). Here continues the astonishing performance of avocado, +67.4% after the 92.9% of 2019, which has 41 references between the fruit as is and the preparations (sauces and dressings) containing it. A trend extremely positive, so much so as to include the fruit in the Istat basket in 2018, which we hope suggests an increase in domestic productions, in Calabria and Sicily.
Almonds superstar, better if Italian
More solid the success of almonds, which in this category confirm themselves as the most widespread beneficial ingredient (1,140 products) and the most effective sales accelerator (+3.5%). In this regard, it is useful to remember the great difference between Italian almonds and imported ones, which we have already reported.
Stable are instead the multigrain flours, after the decline of the previous year (-4.5%). The recovery is due to oats (+5.4%) and corn flour (+14.9%). Among spices, to the simple performance Against the increase of cinnamon (+8%), there are declines in turmeric (-6.1%) and ginger (-5.1%).
Superfood. Microalgae soaring
Spirulina astonishes with sales up 20.7% on 25 references in mass consumption, among dietary supplements and smoothies. It is recommended to choose products without the silicon dioxide additive.
Goji berries instead record the worst performance of 2020. -33%, perhaps also due to suspicions of possible pesticide residues on non-organic goods coming from afar. Also declining matcha (-10%) and acai (-16.2%).
The processing method
The clarification on the label the food processing method mainly concerns extra virgin olive oil ‘cold extracted‘. It is present on 271 references and marks a modest sales increase of +0.7%.
Leader for shelf presence is instead the claim ‘drawn‘. It concerns 1,009 products, especially bronze drawn semolina pasta, protagonists of an annual growth of 10.5%. Another targeted recall for pasta concerns the drying process, which drives sales up by +5.7%.
Very dynamic i claim ‘unfiltered‘, which increases beer sales by 25.2% especially, and ‘smoked‘ (+25.5%), cited on 76 references. And again, ‘handmade‘ (+9.8%), especially for tuna and canned fish, with the exception of ice creams, which, although remaining secondary, gain sales of +30.7%.
Heavy setback, finally, for the claim ‘natural leavening‘, with a decline of -13.4% compared to 2019. The fate of the 393 references labeling it has been greatly affected by reduced use of this claim on frozen pizzas and snacks, as well as the drop in sales of occasion products.
Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) The ninth edition of the Immagino Observatory is available here. See also the previous report on Food consumption. The snapshot of the Immagino Observatory. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 15.2.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/consumi-alimentari-la-fotografia-dell-osservatorio-immagino
Professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of investigative reports on food, she published the book 'Reading labels to know what we eat'.
