A survey by Bologna-based research and consulting company Nomisma reveals that 43% of US supermarket shoppers seek Italian food and beverages.
For each $100 spent on grocery shopping, 27% is mainly made in Italy.
Four in ten US consumers judge the quality of Italian food as superior to local products, while 74% are willing to pay a premium for Italian items.
In 2015, one in five Americans bought on at least one occasion an Italian fruit and vegetable product.
A separate study by the Italian Farmers Confederation (CIA) indicates that the US market accounted for 10% of Italian exports of agricultural products, food and beverages, surpassing €3.6 billion (+23% year-on-year) in 2015.
Overall, Italian food and drink exports were worth almost €37 billion (+7% on 2014), of which over €24 billion were sold on the EU market (+7.5% year-on-year). The biggest markets within the EU are Germany (€6.5 billion), France (€4 billion) and the UK (€3.2 billion).
The top eight Italian exported products are wine (15% of the total), followed by bakery products (10%); transformed fruit & veg (9%); fresh fruit & veg (9%); meat and meat products (8%); dairy products (8%); cocoa, chocolate and confectionery (5%); and olive oil (4%).
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
