Italy has responded to a crisis that affects nearly all residents, with the cost of pasta rising 17.5% in just one year.
According to figures released by the European Central Bank in March 2023, the inflationary impact of pasta is double the Italian inflation rate of 8.1%. According to the Washington Post, 60% of Italians eat pasta every day. The average price is $2.20 for a kilogram (about two pounds) according to figures from March 2023.
CBS News reported that the Italian government had convened last week a crisis committee to investigate the causes of the rising prices. Adolfo Urso is Italy’s Minister of Industry. He moderated the discussion as the price of the staple food continues to increase. The commission determined that the price increase is not justified.
Prices of pasta have increased despite the fact that the price for wheat, the main ingredient, has fallen in recent months. Furio Truzzi is the president of Assoutenti a consumer group. He claims that rising pasta prices are simply an attempt to increase profits by Italian producers.
Michael Crippa is an Italian professor of gastronomic sciences. According to CBS News, Crippa has a completely different theory. He attributes the price hike to the Russian invasion of Ukraine – a major wheat supplier to Europe. “Pasta that is on the shelves now was made months ago, when durum was bought at high prices with energy costs at their peak,” Crippa told the Washington Post.
Benedetto Mineo who was a participant in the talks of the commission promised that the price of pasta would drop significantly in the near future, but there was no time frame discussed.
