Territorial disparities in organic food markets: Evidence from scanner data in Italy

Ensuring equitable access to sustainable diets remains a critical challenge for food systems. This study examines territorial inequalities in the Italian organic food market by leveraging nationally representative retail scanner data covering 103 provinces. Focusing on a set of key staple product categories (eggs, rice, flour, and yogurt) within the modern retail sector, we develop novel indicators of organic product availability and market diffusion and, applying hedonic price models, we estimate provincial-level organic–conventional price gaps, highlighting their implications for affordability. Results reveal marked North–South disparities: organic products are consistently more available and sold at lower price gaps in central and northern Italy than in southern regions, even after controlling for packaging and product characteristics. These findings suggest that territorial inequalities in organic food access are not only demand-driven but also structurally linked to retail market organisation. Beyond the Italian case, the proposed framework demonstrates the potential of scanner data for monitoring spatial disparities in sustainable food access and supporting evidence-based policies to promote a more inclusive transition toward sustainable consumption.