During the lockdown, Italians rediscovered their love of cooking and eating healthily. Fear of Covid-19 provided a strong impetus to improve dietary habits in order to keep the body's immune defences strong. In particular, Italians embraced organic and biodynamic food. As a result, 2020 saw a 7 per cent increase in sales of organic products compared to 2019.

Organic food: purchases in Italy exceed 4 billion euros

According to research compiled by Nielsen with AssoBio, over the course of 2020 purchases of organic products in Italy grew to a total value of over 4.3 billion euros. The data show that the increase in supermarkets was 6.5 per cent, 10 per cent in specialist shops, 12.5 per cent on discount store shelves and, most notably, +150 per cent for online sales.

Large-scale retail also up +48.7 per cent for organic product distribution

These figures demonstrate how much Italians care about their own health and the health of the planet. A trend — and a new lifestyle habit — that has also been seized upon by large-scale retail (gdo), which has brought its share of organic product distribution to +48.7 per cent.

An expanding market focused on quality and safety

"The organic sector," explained Roberto Zanoni, president of AssoBio, "represents an increasingly important driver of quality Italian agri-food. It was precisely during the lockdown that consumers sought out organic and biodynamic products, confirming a growth trend already under way. The Italian consumer is paying ever greater attention to quality and safety. With an eye always turned towards fair pricing, confirming a just and equitable recognition of processes and their certification."

Nicola De Carne, retailer client business partner at Nielsen, also stated that "today it is necessary to reconsider the role of organic food in a broader context, drawing ever more on Italian identity and local territory. Two factors that give Italians the sense of safety, quality and authenticity." Elements that are greatly appreciated abroad, to the extent that Italy ranks second in the world for organic product exports after the United States, with a +8 per cent increase compared to 2019 and two billion, 619 million euros in cross-border sales.