The latest edition of GS1 Italy’s Osservatorio Immagino devoted its in-depth report to food products whose labels refer to one or more of the following three characteristics: respect for tradition in the product formulation, with indications such as ‘regional’; artisanal production methods, with claims such as ‘bronze-drawn’; and a guarantee of comprehensive quality controls, for example by mentioning the ‘supply chain’.

The study conducted by the Immagino Observatory identified 6,685 products sold in supermarkets, hypermarkets and self-service stores that feature at least one of the 14 claims relating to these three characteristics on their labels. In the year ending June 2025, this basket of products generated sales of approximately € 3.4 billion, accounting for almost 7.0% of the total food sales recorded, and saw a 3.8% increase in turnover and a 3.1% increase in volume, driven by a rise in supply and demand of 1.5 and 2.2 percentage points, respectively.

There are four top-performing claims: the most widespread (2,790 products) is ‘supply chain’, which increased by 1.8% in volume and 2.6% in value over 12 months, generating a total turnover of almost € 2 billion; the most dynamic is ‘local’, which over 12 months achieved a 18.0% increase in volume and a 19.1% increase in value, reaching € 57 million in sell-out generated by the sales of 71 products; ‘artisanal’, featured on 794 products, also performed well, growing by 15.5% in value and 15.8% in volume over 12 months, generating a total turnover of € 184 million, while the 332 products bearing the ‘handmade’ claim on their packaging generated a turnover of € 194 million.