“The Italian organic product that the world loves” is the title chosen by AssoBio for the conference organized as part of the latest edition of Tuttofood, held last week in Milan, which compared different supply chain operators. The title is emblematic because, while Italy, with 20% of the world’s organic agricultural land, leads Europe in production, the same is not true in consumption.
Nielsen data—stressed Nicoletta Maffini, president of AssoBio, at the opening of the meeting—indicate that, in terms of consumption, we are behind Europe. Today, around 5% of consumption in mass consumption is organic, compared to 10-11% in Europe. However, these data are not accurate, as only a portion of consumption in Italy is through distribution; a large part of purchases are made through other uncontrolled channels, such as direct sales to producers.
To more accurately compare consumption trends in Italy with those in Europe, the conference presented the results of research conducted by SWG on behalf of AssoBio, segmented into three macro-geographic areas: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe.
A first aspect explored by the research is the association with the concept of organic. “The first adjective associated with the word organic,” explained Riccardo Grassi, head of research at SWG, “is natural, indicated by 48% of respondents, followed by the term healthy, indicated by 43% (32% in Italy). Next comes the issue of cost. These are followed by nouns like “local” and “zero kilometer,” which have nothing to do with the concept of organic. A little further down are terms like “sustainable” and “controlled,” but it’s worth noting that, in this case, the Italian percentages (34% and 32%) exceed the European average of 23%. In my opinion, these data are extremely interesting because they help us understand the great work that remains to be done in terms of consumer communication and education.”
In fact, the survey reveals a lack of trust in organic products: 75% of respondents believe it is difficult to tell whether a product is organic or not (in Southern Europe, the figure reaches 81%), while 49% do not trust organic certifications. On the other hand, 58% (72% in the South) would only buy organic products if they could, because 62% (72% in the South) believe that organic is a luxury they cannot afford. Perhaps the most revealing figure is that 36% of consumers still believe, despite all the campaigns carried out by the sector, that there is no difference between organic and conventional products.
The fact that a food is organic is the determining factor in their choice for only 6% of consumers; 15% place it among their top three criteria, and 21% among their top five. Factors such as value for money, taste, appearance, and national origin are more decisive.
However, Grassi commented, in Italy the percentage rises to 25%, compared to 22% in Germany and 18% and 17%, respectively, in France and Spain. These percentages don’t reflect Italian sales data. I think the reason lies in the issue of sales channels raised by Nicoletta Maffini. There’s a lot of talk about the consumer zero, who buys one product online, another at the local market, two at the supermarket, another at the discount store, and one directly from the producer. In this dynamic, it’s very complex to evaluate official sales statistics and, even more so, to help consumers make their choice. Today, organic products in Italy probably have difficulty promoting themselves because, on the one hand, people are convinced they’re buying organic products when they’re not, and on the other, because there’s a long way to go to help organic companies tell their story and dispel the bucolic image we’ve conveyed in recent years. In my opinion, much work is needed to bring the processing industry, which is an absolute Italian excellence, back to the “center of the organic debate.”
Working on better communication of organic products, on the one hand, and engaging consumers across all purchasing channels, on the other, are the challenges that organic products will have to face to improve their perception and increase their consumption share.
Elena Consonni
Translated by BioEco Actual
