title: Food habits. Changes among young Italians in the last 10 years.
abstract: The study aims to identify future trends in food habits by comparing the food choices made in Italy by Generation X in the year 2000 with those of Generation Y in 2009. The analysis was conducted utilising the food expenditures surveyed by the National Statistics Institute on a representative sample of consumers. Segmentation was performed using the Latent Class Clustering in order to identify the principal food patterns and their evolution in the span of a decade. The results point out some trends of homologation in food consumptions that are potentially problematic from the viewpoint of the healthy aspects. An increase is noted among the so-called savers, characterised by a diet with a high energetic density, while a decline is noted among the young "traditionals" who stand out for their high consumptions of fruit, vegetables and fish. Out-of-the-home consumptions become established among singles, and there is an increase of easy to prepare and ready to eat products, especially among the young people with children of Northern Italy. These elements raise several issues with regard to social, economic and health implications. Public intervention becomes fundamental to provide information and stimulate markets in orienting producers and consumers towards virtuous models, compatible with the new demands of society.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari, Alimentari e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Firenze, P.le delle Cascine, 18, 50144 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casini
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Contini
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marone
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult