February 17, 2026 | by Le Due Querce editorial team
On February 2, 2026, ISMEA published a structured analysis of the entire Italian nut supply chain. For hazelnuts, the numbers are precise and deserve careful reading: not to retrace the production crisis (already documented elsewhere), but to understand what they concretely imply for those who buy, transform or resell hazelnuts at this time.
The report’s numbers: three data points to keep in mind
The ISMEA report captures three dynamics that, read together, change the way an offer should be interpreted or a supplier evaluated.
The first data point is the gap between production and consumption. Italy produces about 121 million kg of hazelnuts (2024 data) and consumes 220 million: the self-sufficiency rate stops at 55%. 45% of hazelnuts consumed in Italy are imported, mainly from Turkey. This is not a cyclical data linked to the 2025 crisis: it is the market structure. Those who buy Italian hazelnuts are purchasing a product that covers just over half of the national need, which explains part of the pressure on prices even in normal years.
The second data point concerns retail. In 2025, for the first time, purchases of packaged nuts exceeded 1.1 billion euros with a 13% increase in spending and 6% in volumes. For shelled hazelnuts specifically, purchased volumes fell by 3.8% while spending rose by 9.6%. The consumer bought less but continued to spend more: a behavior that signals loyalty to the product more than price sensitivity in the premium segment.
The third data point is the industrial quota. Over 90% of Italian hazelnut production is destined for the processing industry. The retail market and the direct B2B channel (like the one in which Le Due Querce operates) compete for a minority share of total availability: an element that affects negotiation, availability of certified batches and consistency between seasons.
What changes in the Nocciola Romana DOP regulations
In this context, Nocciola Romana DOP has recently received amendments to its regulations that deserve attention, because they are not just formal adjustments: they respond to a logic of supply chain resilience.
The minimum threshold of characterizing cultivars (Tonda Gentile Romana and Nocchione) has dropped from 90% to 80% of total plantings. The remaining 20% can now include native varieties historically present in the Cimino-Sabatino area such as Barrettona, Casamale and Rosa, all varieties at risk of abandonment but with adaptation characteristics to the territory that new commercial cultivars often do not have.
The logic is not to lower quality but to broaden the genetic base to reduce the vulnerability of plantings to seasonal variations. For those who buy Nocciola Romana DOP, this means that certification still protects a precise organoleptic profile (crunchiness, compactness without internal voids, fine and persistent flavor), but the production chain is now better equipped to withstand difficult seasons without losing identity.
What to read in an offer today
The ISMEA data and regulatory amendments suggest some concrete questions to ask an Italian hazelnut supplier at this time.
The first concerns the actual origin of the product. With 55% self-sufficiency, it is not uncommon for batches declared “Italian” to actually be blends or for the origin to be generically European. Asking for traceability documentation and, in the case of DOP, the certified batch number is the most direct way to verify this.
The second concerns the vintage. The ISMEA report shows very high production variability between 2023 and 2025. A serious supplier is able to indicate the harvest year and explain how the product has been preserved from summer to today.
The third concerns the industrial quota. If over 90% of production goes to industry, the batches that remain available for the direct channel are selected, but also more difficult to evaluate without direct sensory control. The willingness to provide samples before ordering is a transparency signal worth more than any generic certification.
To understand how prices are actually formed and how to structure a comparable quote request, read Hazelnut market and prices: what they really depend on.
To understand the production and climatic context that preceded these data, see For hazelnuts high prices and inconsistent harvest: “Climate impacts 70%”.
To orient yourself between Nocciola Romana, Piemonte IGP and Giffoni IGP when specifying an order, consult Hazelnuts: disambiguation of names for orders and specifications.