Gabriele Conigliaro, Senior Researcher at Istituto Piepoli, guest of the CibusLab webinar organized by Andrea Meneghini of GDONews, illustrates a survey on cured meats.
With this survey – Gabriele Conigliaro, Senior Researcher at Istituto Piepoli, explain -, we investigated the consumption of cured meats among Italians. The respondents who declared to consume them, even occasionally, amounted to 71% of the total. The highest percentage of consumers is observed among the 18-34 year olds (79%), while the lowest among the over 55 (62%).
The survey also sought to investigate any changes in the respondents’ eating habits. The data collected indicate a decline in the consumption of cured meats in the last 12 months. In fact, 21% of respondents declared that they had reduced their consumption of cured meats, compared to 7% who, on the contrary, said they had increased it (the share of those who have substantially maintained it is 72% unchanged). The balance between these two values, equal to -14%, shows a fairly robust contraction in the consumption of cured meats. It is clear that this data must be read taking into account the emergency situation due to the coronavirus in which our country has found itself, which has also had repercussions on the eating habits of citizens. In this specific case, we can hypothesize that the limitations imposed on the Ho.Re.Ca., due to the pandemic, have contributed significantly to a decrease in the consumption of cured meats.
As regards the future prospects of this food category, the interviewees were asked to try to hypothesize how their consumption of cured meats could vary in the coming years. Also in this case, by calculating the balance between those who say they will increase the presence of these products in their diet (3%) and those who think they will reduce it (19%), we obtain a value with a negative sign: -16% (the values the lowest were recorded by young people, -21%, and residents in the North West, -22%). Those who say they will eat less cured meats in the future than today say they will do so mainly for health reasons (33%) or simply because they believe these products are not good for you (29%). Other reasons to report are the high fat content (21%) and the desire to switch to a diet with low animal protein content or vegetarian / vegan (19%).
Regarding the channels where the interviewees usually buy cured meats, it is the large-scale retail trade that is the host with 77% of the citations. It should be emphasized that young people in particular use hyper, super and discount stores to purchase these products (90%). The percentage of respondents who instead turn to small shops or food shops (such as local shops, delicatessens, etc.) is equal to 22% of the sample (16% in the north, 28% in the center-south), while it is equal to 11% the share of those who buy ham and sausages directly from local producers. The purchase of cured meats online still seems to be a niche phenomenon, having been indicated by 4% of respondents.
Regarding the methods of purchasing cured meats from large-scale distribution, the interviewees seem to prefer the product sold at the cutting counter over self-service. In fact, 44% of large-scale retailers say they always or almost always turn to the assisted counter when buying cured meats (percentage that rises to 57% in southern Italy), while those who declare that they always or almost always choose packaged products are 28% (percentage that rises to 36% in the younger population groups between 18 and 35 years).
Another aspect touched upon by the survey concerned purchase drivers. The respondents were asked to indicate the three most important aspects taken into consideration when buying cured meats. It emerged that mass retailers are looking for products that are primarily of Italian origin (45%) and of high quality (41%). Other important aspects are the price / presence of promotions (indicated as important by 24% of respondents), the brand (17%), the DOP / IGP certification and the provenance from local companies (both with 13% of citations).
As a last point, the survey focused on identifying the brands most associated with the product category of cured meats, asking the interviewees to spontaneously indicate up to a maximum of three brands. Salumificio Fratelli Beretta ranked first with 19% of citations, Prosciutto di Parma second with 17%, and Rovagnati third with 13%. Prosciutto di San Daniele (12%), Negroni (12%), Fiorucci (10%), Parmacotto (6%) followed. Supermarket brands collectively collected 3% of total citations.
