I prefer to buy loose to reduce packaging.
SFOO-zo — the 'sf' cluster starts without a vowel; 'u' is long and rounded.
Use this in discussions about sustainable shopping habits. Buying sfuso (loose/unpackaged) is growing in popularity in Italian cities, with dedicated sfuso shops and market stalls becoming common alternatives to packaged supermarket goods.
Sfuso means 'loose' — food sold without individual packaging. You bring your own containers and fill them with pasta, legumes, nuts, oils, cleaning products, and more. This eliminates primary packaging at the source, which is environmentally more effective than recycling packaging.
C'è un negozio sfuso in centro.
There's a zero-waste shop in the centre.
Negozio sfuso is the common term for a package-free or zero-waste shop.
Porto i miei contenitori al mercato.
I bring my own containers to the market.
The practice of bringing reusable containers; now legally permitted in Italian food businesses.
L'olio d'oliva lo compro sfuso alla cooperativa.
I buy olive oil loose from the cooperative.
Specific example; olive oil bought sfuso is fresher and cheaper.
Italy legalised the refill of personal containers for food products in supermarkets in 2018, ahead of many EU countries. Esselunga, Coop, and Carrefour have expanded sfuso sections for grains, nuts, and cleaning products. The trend is strongest among younger consumers in Milan, Turin, and Bologna.