Over the past three years, oats have gained approximately 600.000 new purchasing families in Italy, confirming a growing trend. In 2024, 13% of families purchased oat-based products with an average frequency of 2,4 purchases and a consumption of 1,33 kg per household.
This is what emerges from a YouGov survey according to which although national oat production is decreasing (from 2,3 million quintals in 2023 to 2,1 million in 2024), the market continues to expand. In 2024, 3,3 million families purchased oats and derivatives, up from 3,0 million in 2023 and 2,6 million in 2022.
Discounts are the main sales channel with almost 2 million purchasing families, followed by supermarkets (1,2 million) and hypermarkets. The private label is the most popular (2,2 million families), while among the brands only Fiorentini comes close to half a million customers (484.000).
Demographically, Northern Italy has above-average consumption, while the South lags behind. The main buyers are adults between 35 and 64 without children, but younger families also show growth potential.
“The growth of oats is part of the boom in high-protein products, now present in 60% of Italian families,” says Paola Bonassoli of YouGov. On the other hand, cereals for children are in decline, following the negative trend of births in Italy.
