How the shopping trolley is changing: 8,348 new food products in 2024
According to the Gs1 Immagino Observatory, in 2024 new references contributed 3.2 per cent to total turnover and have a higher relevance in the 'rich in' and 'free from' categories
2' min read
2' min read
It is foodstuffs that are driving the landing of new products on supermarket shelves: although inflation continues to hit the shopping trolley in particular, a segment of consumers rewards innovative and high value-added references.
"The proposal of new products also serves to stimulate the curiosity of consumers and to guarantee that 'wow effect' that often entices them to buy," reads the latest edition of the Gs1 Italy's Immagino Observatory, which monitored consumption in 2024, discovering that7.8% of the more than 145,000 FMCG products were not on the shelf in 2023, but arrived there between January and December 2024, a period in which they contributed 3.2% to the turnover of the total basket. 73.6% of these 11,343 new entries, i.e. 8,348 products, related to the food world, and it is above all certain specific categories in which the weight of the 'new entries' in the total of the respective basket is greater.
9.9% of all rich-in products that emphasise the high presence of a beneficial element on the packaging were launched during 2024 and their sales cover 3.1% of the turnover of this specific market segment. In this case, innovation focused on products rich in protein, potassium, milk enzymes, vitamins and calcium.
Similarly, 8.9 per cent of all products showing the absence or reduced presence of a component ('free from') on the label in 2024 contributed 2.2 per cent to the respective turnover.
The most frequently used claims on their labels are 'low fat', 'low calories', 'no added sugars', 'low sugar' and 'no preservatives'. Also high are the percentages of new products in the food safety baskets that indicate the absence of antibiotics, residues or pesticides. 8.1% of the products for intolerances sold in 2024 also arrived on sale in the bear of the year, with a higher incidence for 'lactose-free' products (10.5%).
In the 'Lifestyle' basket, on the other hand, innovations launched last year cover 7% of the basket's total assortment and account for 2.3% of its turnover. The innovations were mainly concentrated in 'veg'.
There are also products with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) labels with 9.3% share and 4.1% contribution to turnover. Among the various 'labels' the highest percentages of new references are Friend of the sea with 14.9% and Fairtrade with 10%.
