The value generated by the level of attractiveness of the 100 main food brands in the world, set at January 1, 2024, has decreased by an average of 4% compared to last year. This is not a good performance given that on average in the same period the main brands in the world present in the cross-sector ranking Brand Finance Global 500 2024 have grown by an average of 8%. The value of the 100 main food brands has decreased despite the fact that during 2023 the average level of attractiveness of these brands has remained substantially unchanged with a score of 77.5 out of 100. This means that the average value of the main food brands has decreased partly due to the slowdown in inflation, which has not led to an increase in prices, and partly to the greater attention to saving that has led consumers towards cheaper brands and towards private labels of supermarkets.

The Nestlé brand - which includes all the group's food brands and excludes beverages - despite the weakening of its level of attractiveness and the consequent loss of 7% in value compared to last year, remains the most valuable food trademark in the world with a value set at 1 January 2024 of 20.8 billion dollars. Following in the Brand Finance 100 2024 are the potato chip brand Lay's with a value of 12 billion dollars and the Chinese dairy brand Yili which, thanks to the domestic market, is worth 11.6 billion dollars. The Brand Finance Food 100 is dominated by brands that have the ability to exploit their image and reputation to drive sales in large countries and/or in many countries around the world, such as the 43 US brands, whose value accounts for 42% of the entire ranking with a total value of 113.9 billion dollars.

The Brand Finance Food 100 2024 report shows once again that, among Italian brands, only Barilla and Ferrero generate a value high enough to enter the ranking of the 100 most valuable food trademarks in the world, that is, only Barilla and Ferrero manage to convert the attractiveness of the brand into high economic value. The Barilla brand - whose value includes Mulino Bianco and the other brands of the group - is positioned in 13th place thanks to a value of 4.1 billion dollars. Although the value of Barilla has increased by almost 7% year-on-year, the prospects are at risk as this brand is the one that has weakened the most among all 100 brands in the ranking. The three main Ferrero brands - Kinder, Nutella and Ferrero Rocher - all in strong growth, have a total value of 6.2 billion dollars and are positioned respectively in 28th, 52nd and 65th place. The low presence of Italian, French and Mexican food brands among the 100 most important in the world contrasts with the results of the research conducted by Brand Finance, for the Global Soft Power Index, which shows that Italian food is the most loved in the world, followed by French and then Mexican.

Italian food is the most loved in the world in all continents and in almost all countries. China and India are among the very few major countries where Italian food is not the most loved. Among the Chinese, local cuisine dominates while Italian cuisine is in 11th place after Spanish, French, Portuguese and other regional cuisines. In India, Italian cuisine is second after local cuisine.