Changes on the table: +7.2% of vegetarians in Italy

October 2024

Preferences for vegetable proteins are increasing, but without giving up animal proteins entirely: this is the trend for 82% of young people between the ages of 17 and 35. Among the reasons for the new veg orientation is the desire to reduce one's impact on the environment. At SANA Food 2025, many opportunities to deepen and analyse this market segment.

Italians' eating habits are changing: 7.2% of Italians qualify as vegetarians, a significant increase compared to 2023, when the rate stood at 4.2%. This change in eating habits is reflected in an increased consumption of vegetable proteins. According to the Coop Report 2024, young people are the driving force behind this trend: in the last year, 82% of people between the ages of 17 and 35 say that they have adopted, or intend to adopt, a mainly plant-based diet (without completely eliminating the consumption of animal-derived proteins).

The shopping basket is also different, with an increased interest in plant-based products: over 40% of those under 35 say they choose them to diversify their diet and 66.5% are motivated by the desire to reduce their impact on the environment.
Food choices are increasingly moving towards options that influence individual health and the preservation of the ecosystem. According to leading international authorities, such as the FAO and WHO, adopting a predominantly plant-based diet could not only decrease the risk of developing serious diseases, but also limit the impact of the entire food system on the planet, actively contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. If more people globally followed plant-based diets, it is estimated that the loss of biodiversity could drop by between 5% and 46%. In Italy, this approach could lead to lower emissions (from 187 to 106 Mt CO2eq of greenhouse gases), considerable water savings (from 26 to 17 km³) and a reduction in cultivated land (from the current 20,000 football fields to 15,000).

SANA Food, which will be held at BolognaFiere from 23 to 25 February 2025, will offer exhibiting companies the opportunity to present their innovative solutions to the fast-growing Horeca and specialised retail market, which is increasingly attentive to healthy and sustainable food choices, and to review consumer consumption and needs, which are constantly evolving.