Italians Are Choosing More and More Plant-Based Products

November 2025

Health and sustainability are steering food choices: over 15 million households purchase plant-based products. These themes — and the opportunities they offer the quality out-of-home sector — will be discussed at SANA Food 2026.

Italian shopping baskets are becoming increasingly green. Plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan products continue to gain space in Italian consumer habits, especially among those over 45, residents of Northern Italy, and people without children. According to YouGov Shopper data, this trend continued to grow in 2024.

More than 15 million households chose plant-based products last year, with penetration reaching 59.3% (+2.2% compared with 2023) and purchase frequency rising by 9.6%. Average spending per purchase slightly declined (-7.1%), confirming the tendency to shop more often but in smaller quantities.

Looking more closely, more than one in three Italians purchased plant-based beverages (39.3%) or plant-based deli products (38%), while nearly one in five (19.8%) chose dairy alternatives. The most significant growth was recorded in burgers (+3.5%), finger food (+2.1%), and condiments (+2%).

Health and sustainability are the main factors behind these choices; they also influence flexitarian consumers, who tend to reduce — without eliminating — their consumption of animal products. In 2024, around 2.1 million Italians identified as vegetarian (3.7% of the population) and 855,000 as vegan (1.5%).

These topics — and the opportunities they create for the quality out-of-home sector — will take center stage at SANA Food, the international exhibition dedicated to organic and natural products. It is the ideal occasion to explore trends, innovations, and new projects, and to discover the best of high-quality food production: from the expanding plant-based world to PDO and PGI excellences, and businesses most committed to social and environmental responsibility.