Food and lifestyle styles of Italians. ‘Without‘, ‘veg‘, ‘ready now‘. II Eurispes report Italy 2020 confirms-with an established sociological survey-some data that have already emerged in the analysis of GS1-Italy, Observatory I imagine 2019-2, on the sales of 106 thousand on-shelf references in the large-scale retail trade. However, the ‘new’ lifestyles do not solve the most serious health emergency for our country, childhood overweight and obesity.
Veg, vegetarian and vegan. 8,9%
The veg front in Italy accounts for 8.9%, out of the sample of citizens surveyed by Eurispes. This category of consumers consists mainly of vegetarians (6.7 percent), with a smaller proportion of vegans (2.2 percent). These are joined by 6.3 percent of former vegetarians.
The motivations are broader and more differentiated than one might believe:
– 56.6 percent of vegans chose to adhere to a vegetarian or vegan diet ‘for individualhealth and well-being‘ (23.2 percent), out of dietary aspirations (‘toeat less and better,’ 19.2 percent), ‘out of curiosity’ (9.1 percent) or ‘to contribute to preservation and protection towards the environment‘ (5.1 percent),
– 39.4 percent give up the omnivorous diet instead out of ‘love and respect for the animal world’ (22.2 percent), but also because ‘the eating style is an integral part of a broader philosophy of life’ (17.2 percent).
‘Freefrom’, dietary supplements
Attention to diet is expressed by Italians with consumption choices that often diverge from actual health needs, as well as from the nutritional recommendations offered by the public health system. Thus, ‘free-from‘ fads such as ‘gluten-free‘ (14.6 percent) and ‘lactose-free‘ continue to take hold in food and lifestyle styles.
These market phenomena are induced by a Viral Deception about the benefits-entirely unproven-that would result from removing these substances from the diet of those who are not intolerant to them, based on an official diagnosis.
Dietary supplements are also widespread, in 16.3 percent of respondents’ consumption habits. And this is a more complex phenomenon to analyze in the absence of disaggregated statistical data. In fact, the supplement category includes multi-vitamins and multi-minerals, as well as specific supplements that are often suggested by primary care physicians with goals of covering needs as well as preventing or supporting treatments for certain diseases. Without neglecting the so-called
botanicals
, whose use is rooted in herbalist tradition.
Food Delivery and Ready-to-Eat
Food delivery and ready meals,
food delivery
and Ready-to-Eat, have in turn become part of the lives of most Italians. According to Eurispes:
– 54% of Italians buy food at home (sometimes 37.1% , often 15.1% always 1.8%). The young and very young lead the market (81 percent in ages 18-24, 63.3 percent in the 25-34 range),
– 70.3% in all buy take-away food. The “busy life” also seems to explain the spread of fast, industrial, ready-made food that does not require much effort in the kitchen.
‘There are many who who buy on supermarket and mass retail counters industrial products that take a few minutes to be ready [so-called Ready-to-Eat, ed.], skipping basic preparations altogether almost 62 percent (41.3 percent do it sometimes, 16 percent often and 4.6 percent always).‘ (1)
Imagine Observatory, lifestyle numbers
GS1-Italy ‘s Immagino Observatory (Oi) once again, as it did in 2019, confirms the trends outlined by Eurispes through photographs of products and their shelf rotations. The Observatory’s analysis places in the lifestyle category:
– veg references, insofar as they report on the label such wording as ‘suitable for a vegetarianlifestyle’, ‘suitable for a veganlifestyle’ or logos of equal meaning (e.g., VeganOK),
– other ‘identity’ products such as organic, halal and kosher.
Over 10 thousand products in total, accounting for 13.8% of the supply. With over 2.7 million euros in sales, still growing (+3.7 percent between June ’18 and June ’19) albeit at a slower pace than the previous report (+8.9 percent). Veg is advancing more steadily (+5.1%, after +7.4% the year before) and characterizes 5% of the total references considered.
‘Gluten-free’ and ‘lactose-free ‘ ‘are now a regular presence in Italians’ shopping carts,’ Immagino further highlights. Incredible but true, the references thus marked express 13.3 percent of the supply and 14.4 percent of the food basket turnover (excluding water and alcohol). Sales values – € 3.6 billion for about 9 thousand products (+1.9%) – confirm, among other things, as we have already noted, the extent of speculation on these categories of goods.
Childhood obesity and overweight
Childhood obesity and overweight continue to rage. With an increasing prevalence – 21.3% overweight, 9.3% obesity – compared to those previously reported by Istat and theItalian Obesity Barometer Report (IOBR).
Young people in Italy are at risk of epidemic from serious and chronic diseases (Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs). In this upside-down Europe, the former standard bearers of the Mediterranean diet have become champions of dietary imbalance. Thus, 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 ‘unhealthy eating habits, a large consumption of simple carbohydrates. [i.e. sugar, ed.] and meat [?], compounded by the consumption of unnatural, high-calorie, low-nutritional-value products (33% consume an unsuitable breakfast and 36% regularly consume carbonated soft drinks from an early age)’. Sic!
Dario Dongo and Sabrina Bergamini
Notes
(1) Eurispes Report, 32′ Italy Report, 30.1.20. Press release and full research at https://eurispes.eu/news/eurispes-risultati-del-rapporto-italia-2020/
(2) GS1-Italy, Observatorio Immagino Oi 2019 – 2, at https://osservatorioimmagino.it/
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Journalist. Consumption, rights, nutrition, social, environment. Head of Consumers Help. She collaborated with ResetDOC, Il Riformista, La Nuova Ecologia, IMGPress.
