High Consumption Levels But Little Growth Expected

A strong food culture means that Italy has one of the highest levels of per capita spending on food in the world. However, over the last ten years consumption has been adversely impacted by relatively low economic growth and unfavourable demographics, with an ageing population and low birth rate. This was compounded by the economic downturn, with Italy's economy contracting by 5% during 2009 and consumption falling across most food and drink categories, as a result of a reduction in discretionary spending and increased price-consciousness. With the economy showing signs of life, this trend can be expected to abate as

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