The food salt market - Italy

1.1 Definition and presentation

In Italy, the food salt market is structured into two main segments: salt for the private sector (table salt, cooking salt) and salt for the food industry (basic raw material). Used as a preservative, food salt provides the human body with two essential nutrients:

• Chloride, a key energizer;
• Sodium, important for the hydromineral balance of cells and the body.

This essential seasoning combines the flavors of chloride and sodium ions to give a distinctive salty taste to the foods it accompanies or into which it is incorporated. While a moderate amount of salt is essential for health, too much salt can be harmful. In both B2B and B2C markets, salt producers have seen their production volumes decline over the past decade due to fierce foreign competition in the context of food and health communication campaigns.

Italian consumption of food salt is not very brand-driven; in fact, the purchase is dictated by variables such as price or convenience, which is why a wide range of small brands and e-commerce companies are doing well. In addition, the market is highly concentrated in the hands of large foreign multinationals that are gradually increasing their market share in the country with the recent purchase of several Italian salt production companies.

1.2 Global salt market overview

Global market

Salt is one of the few products of which the world is least likely to be without in the coming millennia: rock salt reserves are considerable and sea salt is virtually inexhaustible. Despite the willingness of institutions to reduce salt consumption, this global market is growing steadily, driven by ...

1.3 The Italian market

To outline the value of the Italian salt market, we start by analyzing the turnover trends of seasoning and spice enterprises to give an overview of the sector as a whole, and then go into more detail by presenting the turnover of salt-extracting enterprises and the sold production of food salt ...

1.4 Trade flows

For the period from **** to ****, the analysis of percentage changes in food salt trade flows in Italy shows that imports increased overall by **.* percent, from **.* million in **** to **.* million in ****. Exports, for their part, increased by **.* percent, starting from **.* million in **** to **.* million in ****.

The coverage ratio, which measures the ratio ...

2.1 Demand trends

Analysis of monthly household expenditure on salt, spices and herbs in Italy shows some stability over the last * years for which data are available. Monthly spending was essentially unchanged between **** and ****, followed by a slight recovery in ****. **** saw a more pronounced decrease, with spending of €*.**, *.* percent lower than in ****. However, in ...

2.2 Beware of salt consumption

Salt consumption is strongly correlated with age

According to WHO, high sodium intake (***) contribute to high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease and stroke. In addition, reducing salt intake has been identified as one of the most cost-effective measures countries can take to improve health outcomes in their ...

2.3 Geographic Distribution of Demand

To study the geographical distribution of demand, a map is presented with the regional distribution of attention to salt consumption in Italy, in percentages. A high value thus indicates lower salt consumption for the same population.

3.1 Market shares of major players

An oligopolistic market

In ****, there were ** companies in Italy specializing in salt mining, with a turnover of *** million euros.

Turnover of the ** largest Italian companies ATECO **.** Italy, ****, thousands of euros Source: ****

ATECO code **.** represents companies specializing in salt extraction. In ****, Italkali dominated the Italian market with an estimated turnover of **.** million ...

3.2 Industry dynamics

A consolidation of the industry

Since ****, the salt market has been consolidating. The disappearance of smaller companies is leaving more and more room for larger groups. This trend can be verified by comparing the number of companies with the industry's turnover. While the number of companies has been steadily decreasing, turnover ...

3.3 The main salt-producing regions

Southern Italy's dominance in salt production

Imethods of food salt production differ between rock salt and sea salt:

Ground salt can be: Extracted from rock salt mines for rock salt. Dissolved by injection of fresh water (***) then dehydrated, dried and compacted for igneous salt. Probed at the level of salt formation, ...

4.1 Prices

The trend in the consumer price index for salt, herbs and spices in Italy from **** to **** shows a gradual and relatively small increase until ****, with minimal year-on-year changes. From **** to ****, a slight decrease is observed, followed by a significant increase in subsequent years. The most pronounced jump occurs between **** and ****, when ...

4.2 Product types and industry trends

The main types of salt that can be found on the Italian market are:

Traditional Sea Salt: Sea salt is one of the most common and popular types of salt in Italy. Extracted through the evaporation of seawater, it is valued for its natural flavor and for the fact that it ...

5.1 Nutrition declaration has been mandatory since 2016

The nutrition declaration has now been mandatory on packaged foods since December **** . This law aims to make it easier for consumers to read the nutritional values of products. This regulation applies to :

unprocessed foods that contain a single ingredient or category of ingredients; herbal or fruit infusions, tea ; food products packaged ...

5.2 Government efforts to reduce salt consumption

As seen in section *.*, the government is making significant efforts to reduce Italians' salt consumption. With Law No. ** of March **, ****, the Italian government wants to combat diseases due to iodine deficiency. Since ****, Italy has witnessed the democratization of iodine in salt. Salt is now available in bars and restaurants, as well ...

5.3 WHO recommendations on the consumption of food salts

The World Health Organization supports the reduction of salt consumption. In this regard, WHO develops public health recommendations for countries and emphasizes the role of public policies and strategies to create environments that enable people to consume sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious, healthy, low-salt food. Improving eating habits is the ...

6.1 Segmentation of actors

• Ing. Luigi Conti Vecchi
• Atisale
• Sosalt
• LOCATELLI SALINE DI VOLTERRA
• Parco della Salina di Cervia
• Tesauro Sale
• Italkali s.p.a