n.944

Organic fruit and vegetables: 13 per cent growth in consumption by volume in 2025


Despite this growth, volumes are still 5 per cent lower than in 2021, when they exceeded 625,000 tonnes; in value terms, however, the market stands at significantly higher levels than five years ago, partly due to an average price that has risen by around 20 per cent. Looking at the long term, there is a clear trend towards the gradual consolidation of organic produce in Italian shopping baskets: in 2016, it accounted for 8.4 per cent of total fruit and vegetable volumes, whilst by 2025 this share is set to reach 12.2 per cent, the highest level in the series under consideration.. You can find out more about the benefits of organic produce for ecosystems, farmers and consumers here.

AgricultureFruit and vegetablesOrganicPesticides
 

n.942

Nine Parma hams and a mystery: how did Gambero Rosso choose them?


...The panel of tasters claims to have selected “nine noteworthy products”, but it is not entirely clear how many products were initially selected or what criteria were used. The Consortium has 125 member companies: how they arrived at nine is unclear. Yet, in the section of the website dedicated to blind tastings,it states:“We create groups that are homogeneous in terms of type, production philosophy and price range”. In this case, it seems to me that the selection is not particularly homogeneous: the only common feature is that they are Parma PDO; otherwise, the production philosophy and approach of a €15–20 billion chain will differ from those of a €30 million company. With such a wide range of maturation periods and prices (a 70 per cent difference between the cheapest and the most expensive), how can one claim that the range of products is homogeneous? The author is right: Gambero Rosso would do well to explain the process leading up to its assessments in greater detail. I would add that, given the events surrounding the ‘prosciuttopoli’ scandal, the descriptive section of the article – which I have reproduced below – seems rather theoretical: Where do the legs come from? The legs come exclusively from pigs born, reared and slaughtered in the eleven regions permitted by the production specifications, whilst processing takes place entirely within the designated area. After at least fourteen months and quality checks, the ‘Corona Ducale’ is awarded – the mark certifying ‘Prosciutto di Parma DOP’...

Prosciutto
 

n.941

Amazon: e-commerce deliveries of perishable fresh produce set to rise by 50 per cent in 2026


"We have adapted a number of our existing Same-Day facilities with specialised temperature zones – ambient, chilled and frozen – and we plan to adapt many more over time. If your order includes frozen pizza, yoghurt and English muffins, three different team members prepare your order simultaneously, one in each zone, which also makes it easier to unpack when it arrives. Orders for perishable groceries are also fulfilled by existing fulfilment centres that were designed from the ground up to handle perishable groceries..." Six (6) fresh items feature in the top twenty on the site, which serves 150 million people and is now the second-largest food retailer in the US behind Walmart. The term ‘groceries’, which usually refers to everyday consumer goods, also includes fresh produce for Amazon.

AmazonE-CommerceWalmart
 

n.940

It takes up to 16 kilos of wild fish to produce one kilo of ‘farmed’ bluefin tuna


It takes up to 16 kilos of wild fish to produce one kilo of ‘farmed’ bluefin tuna Bluefin tuna had recovered from overfishing. Now fattening farms are expanding and consuming enormous quantities of sardines, anchovies and mackerel... The paradox is particularly evident when one considers that aquaculture is generally cited as a means of easing the pressure on wild stocks, whilst this model continues to depend precisely on fishing...

Fish
 

n.939

OVS is stepping up its international expansion and is opening the group’s largest flagship store at the Dubai Mall


OVS is stepping up its international expansion and has opened the group’s largest flagship store at the Dubai Mall. The new store, which opened on 3 September, covers 2,500 square metres, employs 47 people and is managed directly by the company. It is a strategic showcase in the heart of one of the world’s leading retail hubs, visited by over 100 million people every year… The opening reinforces the group’s international expansion following recent openings in New Delhi and Mumbai, strengthening the link between India and the Middle East. “The new flagship store provides a prime showcase for all our brands,” said CEO Stefano Beraldo. This expansion follows a particularly successful 2025, which the group closed with sales of 1.746 billion euros and an EBITDA in excess of 218 million euros. With a network of over 2,600 shops… The brand’s overseas expansion is likely aimed at e-commerce.

E-CommerceNon-food
 

n.938

Large-scale retail in France: trends from 2016 to 2026


Growth in the 2016–2026 period for LCC ‘self-service’ fresh produce (pre-packaged, labelled and displayed in refrigerated cabinets) stood at 31 per cent. E-commerce at 140 per cent, discount stores at 64 per cent, neighbourhood shops at 50 per cent, supermarkets at 23 per cent and hypermarkets at 12 per cent. Supermarkets and hypermarkets are losing market share. Food e-commerce accounts for 8.3 per cent of the retail sector, whilst discount stores account for 14.1 per cent. Sources: Circana via Editions Dauvers

DiscountE-Commerce
 

n.937

China: instant retail – ‘quick commerce’ – is set to reach $178 billion by the end of the year


according to the government. Its competitors are Meituan, JD.com and Alibaba, which spent billions of dollars on vouchers, free deliveries and incentives for retailers last year. Now, so-called ‘instant commerce’ has established itself as the new battleground for online shopping. Whilst the companies’ spending spree has channelled billions in drinks towards budget-conscious consumers, analysts have stated that the most significant challenge lies in changing purchasing habits, particularly in major cities where consumers increasingly expect a range of goods, such as groceries and cosmetics, to arrive within 60 minutes. Home delivery of drinks and meals may generate frequent visits to the app, but the real opportunity lies in converting these visits into purchases of higher-margin non-food items... N.B.: The challenges facing quick commerce in Italy also stem from an unclear situation regarding delivery services. Drafted on 6 September, updated on 7 September 2026

AlibabaDeliveryE-CommerceNon-food
 

n.935

The 3-euro EU tax has caused a slump in Chinese parcel deliveries: Temu, Shein and AliExpress have seen sales fall by up to 40 per cent


A month and a half after the measurewas introduced, the first measurable effect was already evident: imports of small parcels from China to the European Union had fallen by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent. This was announced by theFrench Ministry of the Economy…(Italy has no data and had tried to ‘go its own way’). It is a measure designed to target the very business modelthat has madeTemuandSheinmass phenomena: individual shipments with a low unit value, sent directly from China to the end consumer, which until June benefited from a total customs exemption for all parcels under 150 euros… The measure is intended to be temporary. It will remain in force until awider reform of the European customs system is completed, which is expected within two years…Source Shein has an advantage over its Chinese competitors because it has a warehouse in Poland (which is, in fact, what Amazon has done, with e-commerce warehouses across Europe). Read more about it here.

AlibabaAmazonE-CommerceNon-foodShein
 

n.934

In Altroconsumo’s value-for-money ranking, Eurospin comes out on top among discount stores, whilst Dok, Coop and Famila dominate the supermarket and superstore categories for general shopping


The table to look at is the second one. The comparison in the first table is not very meaningful, partly because the products sold by discount stores, supermarkets and superstores are not the same. Conad comes top in terms of value for money if you look only at own-brand products (third table). Source Drafted on 2 September, updated on 3 September 2026

ConadCoopDiscountPrivate LabelSuperstores