Agro-industry

Preserved foods, here's how pickles and pickles are looking for a revival

Despite having a turnover of over 687 million euro, the sector has suffered in recent years due to rising production costs (mainly due to high oil prices) and household cutbacks in the shopping basket

by Manuela Soressi

24 June 2024

3' min read

Vegetables that are 'otherwise preserved' are making a comeback. Sottoli, pickles and pickled vegetables want to be noticed, to be recognised for the role they play on the table (72% of Italians consume them) and to become better known, also thanks to the first category communication campaign launched by producers associated with Unione Italiana Food.

A due act for an important sector, 'made up of historic companies that work with passion and always search for new products, capable of stimulating the imagination of consumers,' says Mario Piccialuti, Director General of Uif.

In terms of business, in modern distribution preserved vegetables and pickles develop a turnover of more than 687 million euros, exceeding 84,800 tonnes of sales, Circana estimates. But the last few years have not been easy: rising production costs (oils above all), the inflation effect and the impoverishment of the shopping trolley have not favoured these preserved vegetables. They also suffer from a not entirely positive experience, also dictated by a lack of knowledge on the part of consumers. Only 58.4% believe they know enough about the canned vegetables sold in supermarkets, particularly regarding brand and ingredients. Less is known about nutritional and production aspects.

Poor information and fake news do not help pickles and pickled vegetables so much that one Italian in four no longer buys them, according to a study carried out by AstraRicerche for Uif. The reasons? Too intense a taste (30% of responses), but also an aversion to preserved products (25.3%) and the belief that they are not suitable for a healthy diet (22.4%).

But behind the refusal to buy them there are also more pragmatic reasons, such as the too-large formats in which they are sold (23.8%): an important aspect both from an anti-waste perspective and in terms of containing the household shopping bill. In fact, one in five non-consumers emphasise that they have abandoned them because they cost too much.

Those who continue to buy pickles, pickles and pickled vegetables appreciate them above all because they are tasty and appetising (75.5%). A hedonistic aspect that is flanked by more rational motivations, linked to their convenience as ready-to-use products that speed up cooking and adapt to many recipes: this is the service component, shared by 69.5% of buyers. A versatility that can also be read in the occasions in which they are consumed: if in first place remain domestic dinners and lunches (respectively indicated by 67.5% and 59.1% of those interviewed), other moments in which pickles and pickles are appreciated, such as aperitifs (49%), parties at home (32.1%) and snacking (15.3%).

A new way of approaching these products, especially by the youngest, the lukewarm towards pickles & co. If 79% of 55-70 year-olds consume them, it drops to 65% in the 25-34 age group and 59% in the 18-24 age group. With a few exceptions, such as olives, protagonists of the aperitif ritual (see other article, ed).

For the young, pickles and pickles are snacks and sandwich fillings, while as they get older, they are more used as side dishes, to enrich recipes or as ingredients in first and second courses.

An approach that can also be seen in the ranking of the most popular types of vegetable preserves, where pasta and rice salad mixes take first place (75.5% of Italians are familiar with them), probably the youngest product in a sector that has ancient traditions (pickling in vinegar is already attested to by the Babylonians) and a long tradition of industrial production throughout the country.

This is followed by pickles, pickles, grilled vegetables and sweet and sour preserves, with popularity ratings ranging from 52% to 75%. Among the individual vegetables the most popular are olives, mushrooms and peppers (all above 75 per cent), while among those considered indispensable in the larder, olives still win (31.3 per cent) followed at a great distance by dried tomatoes and mushrooms.

In terms of purchases, however, Circana notes that the best-selling products are olives, followed by pickles with the triad artichokes, mushrooms and tomatoes, and then pickles, with the podium occupied by capers, gherkins and spring onions. But a lot depends on the geographical area: mushrooms have above-average consumption in the Triveneto region, aubergines are favoured in the South, while capers and giardiniera are especially popular in the regions of Central Italy.