Fresh Food

Despite ongoing price growth in the first half of 2023 sales of eggs saw a return to growth in retail volume terms after recording a decline in sales in the previous two years. Although higher prices adversely affected consumers, producers were able…

2022 was a difficult year for the vegetables category, as there was a drop in volume terms resulting from several factors, including a high rate of inflation and rising energy costs. The high rate of inflation led to an increase in vegetable prices,…

Total volume growth in vegetables remains relatively stable, albeit flat in the light of price rises, as certain products such as onions and tomatoes are staple ingredients in French cooking. However, the consumption of summer vegetables has been…

The sugar supply chain in Italy had to face various problems related to costs and raw materials in the last two years of the review period. Firstly, the production costs of sugar are already high due to the need to use advanced technologies to…

Sugar consumption continues to fall in France in retail terms, with sales otherwise supported by foodservice and institutional volume, alongside value being supported by inflationary price hikes. Local production in the 2022/2023 season was…

In 2022, volume sales of starchy roots declined in the Italian market. Meanwhile, from a production point of view, yields had been lower than expected and investments had been made. The main cause was the effects of climate change, with the weather…

The hot summer of 2022 led to a drop in the French potato harvest for the 2022/2023 season, with a decline in the yields from French growers. Whilst imports made up the shortfall in demand, the situation meant that prices have risen significantly in…

After a 2022 marked by a drop in consumption in retail volume terms, the pulses category returned to growth in Italy during 2023. This positive signal involved both the production and consumption of pulses in the country. On the production side,…

The performance of pulses tends to vary depending on economic factors. For example, tinned and canned pulses are perceived as offering better value-for-money as they require less cooking time and are more convenience, whilst fresh pulses need more…

Like all other fresh food categories, the nuts category has been greatly affected by problems related to the entire production chain. General increases in production and transportation costs, including the significant increase in shipping costs, have…

Sales in nuts manage to remain in positive volume figures, with growth stronger in foodservice and institutional volume than seen in retail volume. This is because consumers have returned to out-of-home lifestyles following the era of the pandemic…

In recent years, the meat category in Italy has been going through an uncertain phase, especially regarding supply. Several factors, such as high breeding costs and feed shortages, are negatively affecting the development of the meat category.…

Meat is seeing more positive volume growth in 2023, compared to 2022, despite the category experiencing some of the steepest price rises overall. That said, cheaper meats, such as pork, have compensated somewhat for the declines seen in more…

In 2023, fruit growers faced numerous challenges related to climate change. For example, severe flooding affected many growing areas in regions in the central north such as Emilia-Romagna, which lost a large part of its cherry crops. This situation…

Sales in fruits are seeing a mixed performance, as the category finds a balance between value and volume – lower unit prices support volume growth, whereas inflationary pressures mean higher value but lower volume consumption, especially regarding…

After the negative events that characterised 2022, including the war following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and high rates of inflation, retail volume sales of fresh food started to grow again in Italy in 2023. Italian consumers continued to…

Climate factors are influencing fresh food in France in 2023. After the significant heatwave in the summer of 2022, 2023 saw more rain with some hot spells and droughts in certain areas, which affected crops in the agricultural regions in different…

In 2023, the consumption of fresh fish continued to grow in terms of volume. There are several reasons behind this trend. Prominent amongst these is the health and wellness trend, with more and more people becoming aware of the beneficial effects of…

Sales of fish and seafood have fallen into the expected volume declines in 2023, due to high price rises alongside an ongoing drop in demand. The category is strongly supported by foodservice and institutional volumes, with the concept of fish on…

In the eggs category, 2022 was marked by a significant increase in production costs. This increase was mainly attributable to the rise in energy costs, production factors, and especially the surge in feed prices due to the outbreak of the war in…