GS1’s Immagino Observatory: innovative and healthy breakfasts win over Italians

According to the latest edition of the GS1 Italy Immagino Observatory, the menu for Italians’ first meal of the day is evolving rapidly and consequently changing the shopping basket.

Innovative breakfasts have the edge

The traditional breakfast model, although still dominant (60% of total value), is struggling and in 12 months loses 2,2% of the volumes sold. By contrast, the innovative breakfast model gains 7,1% in volume, growing well above the total breakfast market which, across supermarkets, hypermarkets and self-service outlets, recorded in 2025 an increase of 1,4% in volume and 5,1% in value, exceeding 11,5 billion euros in sell-out.

Trends in the main segments

The Immagino Observatory does not merely track breakfast trends but, with the methodological approach that distinguishes it, examines the key consumption phenomena and the performance of the main claims identified on the labels of products on the shelves, comparing their trends in the traditional breakfast basket and in the innovative breakfast basket.

Free from plays a leading role in Italians’ new breakfast, particularly in the innovative breakfast segment, where it accounts for 48,6% of turnover, exceeding 2,2 billion euros, and where in one year it grew by 9,4% in value and 8% in volume. Among the claims identified, the most prominent were “lactose free”, “low fat”, “low sugar” and “no added sugars”, while the “gluten free” area continues to play a significant role in both breakfast models.

The other key phenomenon is rich-in, which applies to 34,1% of references and accounts for 38,9% of the overall turnover of the innovative basket, where in 2025 it grew by 9,5% in value and 8,9% in volume. In the traditional breakfast segment, however, this phenomenon is less important: it represents just 9,5% of products and accounts for 8,8% of value sell-out.

Lifestyle is among the main elements driving the evolution of breakfast and represents one of the most dynamic areas of the innovative basket, where in 2025 it recorded double-digit growth rates (+11,4% in value and +10,2% in volume), while in the traditional breakfast segment it performed slightly negatively (-1% and -1,3%, respectively). The claim that stood out most was “plant based”, whose volume sales grew by 9,3% in the traditional breakfast basket and by 21,9% in the innovative one.

Super ingredients

The phenomenon of super ingredients is also changing Italians’ breakfast. In the innovative breakfast segment, it reached 37,2% of the range and 27,7% of turnover, thanks to double-digit annual growth: +11,2% in value and +9,6% in volume. The standouts were superfruit and superfood, which tapped into growing interest in ingredients associated with a healthy image, as well as seeds and supergrains/flours, reflecting an increasingly pronounced preference for natural and functional ingredients.

At the same time, the rise of sweeteners and spices helped redefine the offering both in terms of taste and of its healthy perception, often in association with sugar-reduction trends. Finally, super ingredients linked to the traditional dimension held their ground, continuing to ensure a balance between innovation and familiarity.

Italian identity and tradition

With regard to identity values and nutritional drivers, the different expressions of the Italian identity of products prove less rewarding in terms of sales in the traditional breakfast segment (-1,4% in volume) than in the innovative one (+5%), and are more effective at strengthening trust, perceptions of quality and ties with the local area.

The same applies to claims relating to quality and tradition which have lost ground in the traditional breakfast segment (+0,2% in value and -2,7% in volume), while they have increased significantly in the innovative segment (+11,4 and +7%), driven by claims such as “old recipe”, “supply chain” and “local area”.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.