How our shopping habits are changing: here are the 10 trends that emerge when you read the labels

Products that are ‘free from’ certain ingredients – such as gluten, lactose, sugars, GMOs or pesticides: the Observatory has identified 22,480 products with a sell-out value of 12.5 billion euros and an annual growth rate of +3.2 per cent by value and +1.4 per cent by volume.

Foods with claims indicating the presence of at least one ‘beneficial’ ingredient or nutrient (such as fibre, lactic acid bacteria or protein) number 12,077 and, in 2025, generated €5.9 billion in sell-out sales, with an annual growth rate of +2.8 per cent by value and +2.0 per cent by volume.

From matcha to wasabi, from mango to cashews, from ginger to chia seeds, from wheat germ to coconut water, 41 products and ingredients were identified across 15,585 products, with sell-out sales of over 5.7 billion euros and an annual growth rate of +5.3 per cent by value and +2.2 per cent by volume.

This is a basket comprising 6,867 products, all of which are characterised by claims such as ‘artisan’, ‘local’ or ‘handmade’. In 2025, sales exceeded 3.5 billion euros, with an annual growth rate of +2.6 per cent by value and +1.6 per cent by volume.

Plant-based, vegetarian, vegan, alternative, substitute or vegetable-based: the Immagino Observatory has identified 5,776 products with a sell-out value of €3.1 billion and an annual growth rate of +3.1 per cent by value and +2.1 per cent by volume.

There are 4,056 products for dog and cat nutrition that fall under the ‘free-from’, ‘rich-in’, ‘Italian-style’ and ‘gluten-free’ trends, as well as within the realm of sustainability. In 2025, their sell-out value exceeded 1.2 billion euros, with an annual trend of -0.4% by value and stable by volume.

The Immagino Observatory analysed the performance of 8,385 personal care products offering protection, hydration and regeneration benefits. In 2025, these products generated sell-out sales of €1.3 billion, with an annual growth rate of +1.5 per cent by value and +1.8 per cent by volume.

The Immagino Observatory has identified 2,596 environmentally friendly household cleaning products. In 2025, these generated over 817 million euros in sell-out sales, with an annual trend of -9.2 per cent by value and -7.8 per cent by volume.

“Alongside these findings,” GS1 notes – are complemented by the ‘Immagino’ meta-product, which measures changes in the nutritional value of the average Italian food shopping basket, and an in-depth analysis of on-pack communication regarding environmental and social sustainability and animal welfare, using the approach developed by the Institute of Management at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa.”

“This new edition of the Immagino Observatory comes at a crucial moment when, thanks to artificial intelligence and agent-based shopping, a new chapter in ‘grocery shopping’ is unfolding. Now, standardised product information on labels – digitised, clear, comprehensive and shared – is no longer just a crucial channel of communication between the industry, retailers and consumers, but is also becoming the only way to guarantee the shopper’s ultimate satisfaction,” comments Bruno Aceto, CEO of GS1 Italy.