Italy boasts the biggest gluten-free food market in Europe, second only to the US globally, according recent data compiled by Euromonitor International.
The Euromonitor data, prepared ahead of Tuttofood, which commences in Milan on Sunday, also predicted that the global packaged food industry is set to grow 2.4 per cent to hit US$2.9 trillion in sales by 2019.
The research showed that over 20 per cent of the packaged food we eat today are sweet snacks, while new policies against obesity affect food players’ strategies - the world now buys 1.5 trillion calories a day and will be buying 90 more calories a day by 2019.
"Snack products are driving the market due to busier lifestyles which makes snacking more prominent in people’s diets,” said Lianne van den Bos, Food Analyst at Euromonitor.
"We will see more companies offer solutions in easy-to-consume, on-the-go formats in the future.”
Dimitrios Dimakakos, Euromonitor’s Lead Analyst for Western Europe adds, "Health and wellness is also playing an important role in packaged food. Despite the value growth of overall baked goods, staples such as bread suffered a decline in sales over 2014, while the 'free-from' food products, such as dairy-free ice cream and gluten-free pasta, are moving from niche channels to mainstream."
Lauren Bandy, Euromonitor’s Senior Nutrition Analyst explains that “Despite over 40 per cent of the global population being overweight and obese, Euromonitor’s nutrition data shows that by 2019 the world will purchase 90 calories more a day".
These trends will be discussed during three presentations offered at the Euromonitor-AIDEPI seminar at Tuttofood 2015 in Milan on 4 May.
Euromonitor analysts van den Bos, Dimakakos and Bandy will identify the key growth categories and geographies for food players and offer recommendations based on Euromonitor’s forecast data.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Andrew Jennings.
