Italian shoppers give priority to local suppliers when buying fresh produce, according to Nielsen's Global Brand-Origin Survey.
About one in two Italians (54%) say they are willing to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from a small retail store in their city, or directly from a local producer.
When it comes to dairy products, such as milk, butter, cheese and yogurt, 48% of Italian consumers still prefer local production.
The percentages go down for eggs, meat and fresh fish (44%), bakery products such as bread and cakes (37%), and chilled or frozen meat and fish (14%).
Product Preferences
When purchasing packaged products such as snacks and drinks, however, Italian consumers do not have particular preferences of origin.
Nielsen says that fewer consumers would be more inclined to buy locally-produced chocolate (12%), sweet or savoury snacks (11%), breakfast cereals (10%), coffee or tea (11%), and sparkling non-alcoholic beverages (5%).
In the categories of child care, home care and personal care, the consumer preference is mainly for global brands, with less than 10% of shoppers opting for locally-sourced shampoo, make-up, toothpaste, deodorant and household cleaners.
According to Nielsen, the shift in preferences towards global brands depends on many factors - the lower availability of local brands in a certain category, the distorted perception of the true origin of a product, or consumers have a growing affinity with particular multinational brands.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
