The market for dietary foods in Italy

Diet foods, also known as "regimen foods" or for "special nutrition," differ from functional foods. While functional foods contain components, often non-nutritious, that positively influence the body's physiological functions and are intended for healthy individuals to maintain health, diet foods are specifically designed for people with certain diseases and require a prescription. The term "diet product" covers a wide range of products with different applications. Only legislation can provide precise criteria to identify the exact nature of these products for consumers.The three categories of consumers to whom diet products are targeted are:

People with reduced, limited or disturbed ability to absorb, digest, assimilate, metabolize or excrete ordinary foods, or with special nutritional needs due to health conditions.

People with special physiological conditions who benefit from controlled intake of certain substances in foods.

Infants (children under 12 months) or children in early childhood in good health.

In 2022 the world market for diet foods is estimated at 213.7 billion dollars. The gradual increase in consumer attention to their united lifestyles and the steady rise in the incidence of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and celiac disease, lead to predictions of a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.0 percent for the period 2022-2027. By the end of the period, the global market could reach a total value of 303.0 billion.

The study focuses on the analysis of the diet foods market in Italy, and in particular on specialty food products, providing a detailed overview of trends, market dynamics, and growth opportunities. For specific information on related markets, such as baby food, please refer to the specific studies available in the Businesscoot catalog.