The Best Italian Products at Whole Foods

With 522 stores in the United States, Whole Foods has secured its place as one of the largest grocery chains in the country. In addition to its ubiquity, the Amazon-owned supermarket has quite a few fan-favorite items that keep customers coming back, like the Berry Chantilly Cake, which is so beloved it was recently turned into a latte.

But just like at any other grocery store, not every item lining the aisles of Whole Foods is worth your money. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you navigate the shelves, deli counters, and freezers of this supermarket and others, ensuring you get the most out of each shopping trip.

If you’re a fan of Italian cooking — as many of us are — then stocking the best Italian ingredients is key to producing delicious meals at home with minimal effort. To find out which Italian products you should include in your shopping cart at Whole Foods, we consulted two of our favorite content creators, Italian-American couple Carlo Bruno Lungo and Sarah Mollica, or as you might know them on Instagram and TikTok, @carlosandsarah.

This duo documents everything about their experience as an Italian (Carlo) and an American (Sarah) living together in the United States, ranging from Carlo’s discovery of new words in English to the pranks that Sarah pulls on her husband. 

The two met while Sarah was spending a summer in Italy, and although they live stateside now, Italian food remains a significant part of their lives. They also happen to be frequent shoppers at Whole Foods, so who better to consult about the best Italian ingredients to snag from the supermarket? Here’s everything they do (and don’t) recommend.

The Italian products you should buy from Whole Foods

Mutti and Pomì tomato sauces

Perhaps the most overwhelming array of Italian products at any grocery store is the tomato aisle. Jarred sauces, cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato pastes, and more abound. There is a wide range of excellent tomato sauce brands and products out there — we even have suggestions on the best marinaras to buy — but Carlo tells Food & Wine that “In Whole Foods… I like to buy the Mutti sauce. That is a tomato sauce that I use a lot… Or the Pomì.”

Both Mutti and Pomì are Italian companies that make their products with 100% Italian-grown tomatoes. Sarah notes that her husband doesn’t opt for “a jarred sauce with seasonings in it. It’s the tomato base that [he] buys… Our whole cabinet is stocked with both of those.”

For Carlo, the best tomato sauce comes down to simplicity. He explains that “Something that I’m looking for when I buy sauce is the ingredients. If there are too many ingredients… It should be just tomato or should just be simple stuff.” If you’re searching for a straightforward option from either brand that can easily be turned into a sauce, try out a tomato passata (purée), which will consist of only tomatoes and salt.

Parmigiano Reggiano

As Sarah points out, Whole Foods “has good parmesan cheese too. Like in the wheels, the wheels that they cut into pieces.” But she doesn’t mean just any parmesan; instead, she’s talking about Parmigiano Reggiano. This cheese must be produced in one of a select few regions in Italy and must meet specific regulatory qualifications — including being aged for a minimum of one year — to earn the name of Parmigiano Reggiano. The result is a deeply complex, flavorful cheese that is often dubbed the “king of cheeses.”

You will almost certainly find authentic Parmigiano Reggiano at every Whole Foods, and whenever it’s available — if it’s within your budget — it’s a superior choice compared to American-made parmesans.

Carlo also shares a helpful tip for finding true Parmigiano Reggiano in the U.S. He notes that you actually don’t need to look for the “DOP” label — a designation by the European Union that indicates a food was made in a certain area by traditional methods — to locate Parmigiano Reggiano.

Instead, he explains that “If it’s [labeled] Parmigiano Reggiano, then it’s Parmigiano Reggiano. If it’s [labeled] parmesan cheese, it’s different, of course… But they can’t [legally] write ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ if it comes from Wisconsin, because Parmigiano Reggiano is a type of cheese that is just made in a particular region of Italy.”

The Italian products you should skip at Whole Foods

Olive oil without a singular origin

Should you choose Greek olive oil, Spanish, Italian, or something else entirely? Do you prefer the one with a cute label or select a store brand? Whatever the case, Carlo’s got a quick tip that will point you in the right direction of a good quality olive oil.

“If it’s Greek olive oil, I will buy it. If it’s just Spanish olive oil, I will buy it,” says the Italian. “But if it’s a mix of olive oils, it doesn’t sound right to me…. Every land has a different taste, so it’s kind of weird to me.”

Just like wine, olive oil has terroir. The olives acquire a distinct flavor based on the soil and climate in which they are grown. This results in distinct flavor profiles in olive oils from around the world, but it also means that blended olive oils, made with olives from several different countries, do not reflect a clear regional flavor. 

Keep an eye out for single-origin olive oils as a clear indicator of quality. If a bottle of olive oil states it was “packed” in a certain country, that doesn’t necessarily mean the ingredients inside are all sourced from the same place. Look for an explicitly stated source — for example, California Olive Ranch says “100% California” on the front of its bottles and “CA Grown” beneath the nutritional label — and if you can’t find one, Google it or choose another bottle instead.

Trust your gut when it comes to deli meats

This might take a bit more practice, but Carlo recommends learning to look for the appropriate color when purchasing charcuterie. He tells Food & Wine, “If the prosciutto crudo is grey, it’s not the color I’m used to, I would not buy it.”

This will require becoming familiar with what specific cured meats should look like. For example, Carlo also says, “The spicy salami — if it is too white, [then] it’s not the right color.” If you haven’t purchased a type of cured meat before and may not be familiar with its typical appearance, simply do a bit of research before you head to the store.

And if you sample enough charcuterie, you’ll eventually know by sight what you want to buy.