Food patriotism: Italians’ premiumization of Made-in-Italy food in pandemic times

The pandemic has accelerated a process of "deglobalization" of food consumption that had been underway for some time and that has sparked a growing interest in "eating local." The "local product" has become so prominent among Italian consumers that, according to the major national surveys, the number of purchases of products with a reference to Italy on the label has increased by +7.6%, be it the simple three-colour flag or phrases and words referring to "Made in Italy", or the presence of European certifications such as DOP, IGP, etc. In order to verify these trends, this paper presents the results of a survey carried out on a sample of 1545 Italians on the consumption of food "Made in Italy" since COVID -19 . Our data confirm this "patriotic turn" in Italians' food consumption. By asking about the reasons that lead people to prefer food "Made in Italy", the survey sheds light on the growing gastronationalistic feeling that accompanies the preference for local food.