Italy: Potatoes Forever Survey, Potatoes Remain a “Must” for Consumers

During the Black Friday weekend, when many Italians went to supermarkets to take advantage of the discounts, a representative sample of more than 6,500 people answered some questions while they were shopping. The answers were positively surprising, both in terms of consumption and attention to the product.

In fact, the majority of those interviewed (about 39%) said they eat potatoes once a week, while 32% said they eat them several times a week, confirming a well-known trend: potatoes remain one of the protagonists of the Italian table.

Compared to last year, Italians’ priorities seem to have changed: while in 2023 the good quality-price ratio was the priority for a good 40% of the sample, today this percentage has dropped to 34%, almost on par with the EU origin of the tuber, which is important for 32.5% of those interviewed, gaining a good 4 percentage points. The share of consumers who buy potatoes based on their type is also increasing (23.4%), while for the rest of the sample the main criterion for purchasing remains the presence of certifications - environmental and ethical - linked to the sustainability of the product.

In fact, concern for environmental issues is growing: approximately 39% of respondents say they would be encouraged to purchase potatoes if they had an environmental certification clearly indicated on the label (+8% compared to 2023). In line with current trends, which see Italians increasingly attentive to a healthy and balanced diet, the percentage interested in more details on nutritional characteristics also increased by an extraordinary +15% (33%). Finally, the remaining interviewees claim that they would be interested in receiving more in-depth information on the sustainable practices used during production (approximately 18%) and on the role of potato growers (approximately 10%).

The second part of the survey then focused on the knowledge of sustainable practices adopted in the EU territory for potato production, which are precisely the focus of the Potatoes Forever campaign!

Compared to last year, the number of consumers who feel confident in their knowledge of potato sustainability is increasing: 24.5% believe they are well informed on the topic (about +15% compared to 2023), while 32.2% claim to know enough about it (+6% compared to the previous year), data that demonstrate how the Potatoes Forever! project is helping to increase consumer knowledge on the subject. However, a large part of the sample - about 43.5% of respondents - still admits to not having any particular knowledge on the subject: there is therefore still a lot to do to explain to consumers what actions European and Italian producers implement every day to ensure sustainable production.

There is undoubtedly one theme on which almost everyone agrees (88%): an information campaign on the production practices and quality standards of the EU potato supply chain is useful for the final consumer. The topic in which the interviewees are most interested are the initiatives undertaken for the conservation of biodiversity (25.6%, +13% compared to 2023), which dethrone the hunger for information on the traceability of potatoes (in first place for 18.4% of Italians). Sensitivity towards food waste remains stable, important for 23.5%, who would like to understand what Europe’s commitment to limit the waste of resources at all levels translates into.

Now in its third and final year of activity, Potatoes Forever! continues its mission to inform consumers about all the good practices implemented in the European and Italian potato supply chain, with the aim of promoting this European excellence as a product that is not only tasty, but also and above all sustainable.