A shift to other edible oils shows new surveys for a larger share of the Italian consumer public, while lower sales are recorded in the country’s retail trade, due to the rise in prices.
Newer research by the Piepoli Institute, published in IlSole24Ore, and cited by the Olive Oil Times, shows a growing share of consumers willing to switch to other edible oils as long as prices remain high.
More specifically, 30% of respondents changed buying habits, as the price of extra virgin olive oil rose from 4 to 9 euros/liter. Based on the same data, although 55% of consumers have not changed their cooking habits, the rest choose cheaper seed oils for cooking, while 3% choose other all-purpose oils.
Numbers that do not correspond to the reality of sales are, however, spoken by several producers, with David Granieri, president of the Unaprol Union, speaking, on the contrary, of a 3% increase in consumption of extra virgin olive oil, despite the price increase in 2024.
Such sample surveys only reflect intentions, comments Zefferino Monini, representative of the olive oil producer of the same name, referring to Nielsen’s sales data.
According to them, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil to major retailers lost a 9.5% of sales in 2023while in the first two months of 2024 they fell by 7.8%.
Tags: High prices change purchase intentions Italian consumers
