{"id":477171,"date":"2026-04-09T12:14:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T10:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/news\/quanto-costa-una-dieta-sana-e-sostenibile-in-italia-si-spende-di-piu-in-primavera-estate\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T13:04:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T11:04:43","slug":"quanto-costa-una-dieta-sana-e-sostenibile-in-italia-si-spende-di-piu-in-primavera-estate","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/en\/news\/quanto-costa-una-dieta-sana-e-sostenibile-in-italia-si-spende-di-piu-in-primavera-estate\/","title":{"rendered":"How much does a healthy and sustainable diet cost in Italy? Prices tend to rise in spring and summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cost of a healthy and sustainable diet in Italy varies over time and across regions: it increases in spring and summer <\/strong>(except for young children) and differs significantly between northern and southern Italy<\/strong>, alongside a general rise in average product prices over time. These are the main findings of a study entitled \u201c<\/em>The economic feasibility of sustainable and healthy diets: a price-based analysis in Italy<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u201d<\/em>, published in the scientific journal Quality & Quantity<\/em><\/strong> and authored by Stefano Marchetti<\/strong> (University of Pisa), together with Ilaria Benedetti<\/strong> (University of Tuscia), Haoran Yang<\/strong> (University of Pisa) and Mathias Silva Vazquez<\/strong> (University of Rome Tor Vergata).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The study assessed the cost of healthy, sustainable food baskets broadly aligned with the Mediterranean diet, differentiated across five groups: adult men, adult women, adolescents, young children and older adults. The analysis covered the period from August 2021 to March 2024 <\/strong>and is based on 326,721 price observations for 167 food products across 107 Italian provinces<\/strong>. These observations were collected through the Price and Tariff Observatory of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. The available data enable the estimation of minimum, average and maximum costs for each basket.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, we found that the Mediterranean diet is more expensive in spring and summer,\u201d explains Stefano Marchetti<\/strong>, Professor in the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Pisa. \u201cOnly in the case of young children are costs higher during the colder months \u2014 a result that highlights the influence of this group\u2019s specific needs on both the composition and price of the basket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Stefano Marchetti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the study, the food basket for adult men<\/strong> was the most expensive over the 2021\u20132024 period, consistently exceeding \u20ac200 in spring and summer months, while falling to around \u20ac150\u2013160 in autumn and winter towards the end of the period. The overall increase over the three years is around 20%.<\/p>\n

For adult women<\/strong>, the average monthly cost rises from approximately \u20ac175 to \u20ac208 in warmer months and from around \u20ac130 to \u20ac156 in colder months, with an overall increase of about 19\u201320%.<\/p>\n

For older adults<\/strong>, the basket falls within an intermediate range, increasing progressively to around \u20ac160\u2013170 in warmer months and approximately \u20ac120 in colder months, again with an overall increase of about 20%.<\/p>\n

For adolescents<\/strong>, the average cost increases from about \u20ac109 to \u20ac131 in spring and summer and from approximately \u20ac65 to \u20ac78 in autumn and winter, with a rise slightly above 20% over the period.<\/p>\n

For young children<\/strong>, the basket increases from around \u20ac49 to \u20ac62 in warmer months and from approximately \u20ac65 to \u20ac79 in colder months, with an overall increase between 20% and 25%. This is the only group for which costs are higher in winter than in summer.<\/p>\n

Geographical differences are also evident. Average and maximum basket prices are higher in northern Italy<\/strong>, while minimum prices<\/strong> \u2014 that is, the lowest theoretical cost required to follow the diet \u2014 are often higher in southern Italy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne possible explanation,\u201d notes Stefano Marchetti, \u201cis the lower presence of large-scale retail distribution in some southern areas<\/strong>, where competition and economies of scale are weaker, which may affect the lowest available prices. More broadly, the study highlights the importance of monitoring tools and policies targeted at the most vulnerable groups. The economic accessibility of a healthy diet varies over time and across regions<\/strong>, with overall expenditure increasing with age and caloric requirements. At the same time, seasonal trends show that almost all groups face higher costs in spring and summer, except for young children.\u201d<\/p>\n

This research was conducted within the framework of the PRIN 2022 project \u201cFOOD MeaSure \u2013 Poverty, Vulnerable Individuals and Sustainable Diets \u2013 New perspectives on Official Statistical data\u201d<\/em> (CUP: J53D23011590006), which examines the relationship between poverty, social vulnerability and access to healthy and sustainable diets through innovative use of official statistical data.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A study by the Universities of Pisa, Tuscia and Rome Tor Vergata, published in Quality & Quantity, highlights differences between northern and southern Italy, with price increases concentrated in mid-range products<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":475915,"menu_order":1,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"tag-notizie-persone":[],"tags_news":[2753,2305],"categorie":[159],"class_list":["post-477171","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tags_news-department-of-economics-and-managemen","tags_news-research-en","categorie-unipinews-en"],"yoast_head":"\nHow much does a healthy and sustainable diet cost in Italy? 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