Italy grants 500 euro food cards to over one million low income families

The Italian government began distributing 500 euro food cards to more than one million families on 4 November.

These funds help households with an Isee, a measure of household economic status, of less than 15,000 euro purchase quality food products. Families can access the funds by using existing cards or collecting new ones from local post offices.

The Italian Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies organized the program in partnership with the Inps social security agency and the Anci local authorities association. Federdistribuzione agreed to provide an additional 15% discount for cardholders. While the cards can be used for a wide range of food items, the government explicitly excluded alcoholic beverages from eligible purchases for the 2026 and 2027 periods. The initiative aims to support national production chains.

The Ministry of Agriculture says the program encourages the purchase of products made in Italy, which helps create jobs and economic value. Since the program began, approximately 90% of beneficiaries chose to buy domestic products. The government has allocated 2.7 billion euros to the program since its launch.