Market Trends of Italy Animal Protein Industry
Consumer Inclination Toward Protein-rich Foods
- The high-protein trend gains momentum in European countries, such as Italy, as protein claims on food and drink launches continue growing. Even though the share of products carrying high-protein claims is low in the country, the absolute number of high-protein food and drink introductions saw a great increase over the past years, making 'high in protein' one of the strongest growing claims in the Italian food and drink market. For instance, as per EUROSTAT, the total meat production in Italy increased by 7.81% from 2019 to 2022 in Italy.
- Italian consumers actively seek more milk protein in their meals, as well as their beverages and snacks. The growing geriatric population in Italy fuels the demand for medical and nutritional products that help bone and muscle maintenance. This propelled the demand for animal protein like milk protein ingredients in the recent past. Thus, with high protein/protein-rich food and beverages gaining immense popularity on the retail shelves of Italy, the demand for animal protein ingredients increases steadily.
- Furthermore, mainstream consumers understand that protein supports satiety, weight loss and management, and muscle building and maintenance. Owing to high nutritional quality and versatile functional properties, animal protein ingredients are widely used in many food formulations, such as dairy desserts, nutritional beverages, ice cream, yogurt, spreads, meat products, confectionery, and baked goods. Animal protein ingredients will continue to lead in premium applications, such as sports nutrition, clinical nutrition, and infant formula.
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Food and Beverage Segment Dominates the Market
- Italy is one the largest milk producers in the European Union, with an output of more than 13.202 thousand tonnes of cows' milk in 2021, as per The Italian National Institute of Statistics. Also, according to the Euro Group For Animal Organization Report 2022, Italy is Europe's fourth largest egg producer, with 772,000 tonnes per year. The production of these animal protein sources in Italy actively supports the growth of its derivates, such as whey protein and egg protein concentrates, and its utilization in numerous food and beverage products.
- Additionally, dried milk protein concentrate is produced using a combination of processes, such as ultrafiltration (UF), evaporation or nanofiltration, and spray drying. The increasing demand for milk protein concentrates is supported by the steady growth in whey milk powder production in Italy. For instance, as per The Italian National Institute of Statistics, whey powder and piece production increased from 872 thousand tonnes to 887 thousand tonnes from 2021-2022.
- Furthermore, the positive outlook of the animal protein industry in the country, along with the increasing consumer demand for protein-rich food with constant evolution in product launches, actively accelerates the application of animal protein ingredients in the food and beverage industry of the region. This trend is expected to continue during the forecast period.
