100 Healthy Days: a look at the modern consumer

December 2024

The 100 Giorni Sani (100 Healthy Days) Survey, the new SANA Food project, provides an initial and valuable snapshot of data on the intentions and motivations for out-of-home consumption of a very large panel of interviewees: 3,000 Italians and 1,000 Danes.

Carried out in collaboration with Channel Marketing Company, LightUp Italia! and Toluna Group, the survey is divided into two surveys - one carried out in June, the other at the end of 2024 -, with the aim of capturing the latest and most interesting market trends.

The interviews collected during the first phase of the survey return a composite picture, which finds an initial synthesis in the association of the concept of healthy lifestyle with those of health and well-being, on the one hand, and with the choice of a healthy diet, which in turn can often be traced back - in the perception of Italians and Danes - to the use of natural ingredients.

KEY INSIGHTS

What does ‘healthy lifestyle’ mean?

Health (82% Italy, 84% Denmark) and well-being (76% Italy, 69% Denmark) are seen as the pillars of a healthy lifestyle. However, some significant differences emerge between the two countries surveyed:

• Italy: in addition to health and well-being, Italians associate healthy lifestyle with balance (71%) and contact with nature (60%). Nevertheless, for 51% of respondents, a healthy lifestyle implies a feeling of constraint, linked to the need for rules, rigour and control.
• Denmark: healthy lifestyle takes on a lighter connotation. Health (84%) and well-being (69%) remain paramount, but the role of the body (66%) and energy (62%) as symbols of vitality and dynamism emerges strongly. Only 31% of Danes associate a healthy lifestyle with constraint, highlighting a freer and more spontaneous perception of the concept than Italians.

What do people do to follow a healthy lifestyle?

Following a healthy diet (73%-85%) and exercising (72%-67%) are considered key elements, with some specificities:

• Italy: in addition to diet and physical activity, Italians pay attention to proper hydration (67%). In the spring and summer, 56% of Italians followed a healthy diet, with 65% claiming to have maintained a healthy lifestyle while indulging in a few ‘snacks’. Well-being-related activities include time to cultivate hobbies (50%) and to rest.
• Denmark: here a greater appreciation of time as a resource emerges, with 62% organising themselves to pursue the right balance between activity and rest. Compared to the Italians, more Danes (49%) claim to have maintained a healthy diet and recognise dietary well-being as a key component of their lifestyle.

What is ‘healthy food’?

The meaning in which the respondents understand ‘healthy food’ converges on the naturalness of food, but with some specific peculiarities:

• Italy: preference is given to seasonal fruit and vegetables (60%) and food without additives or preservatives (59%). An important role is also assigned to the Mediterranean diet (49%) and food produced with natural ingredients (52%). Attention to sustainability emerges from the inclination towards zero km products and organic food (46%).
• Denmark: there is a greater emphasis on foods rich in nutrients such as vitamins and omega-3 (53%), as well as a preference for organic (41%). Compared to Italy, foods ‘free of’ (35%) and ‘low in’ fat (37%) are more sought after, indicating a functional health awareness.