It’s no surprise that Italy tops the world in pasta consumption, but consumer advocates are calling for a ‘pasta strike’ as prices for the national staple soar.
Wheat prices skyrocketed last year due to the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine, but have since fallen – so why are Italians being forced to shell out more for their beloved carbohydrate?
Earlier this month Italy’s industry minister Adolfo Urso summoned a crisis meeting over the price of pasta, after it jumped by more than double the national inflation rate.
Pasta prices in Italy rose 17.5 per cent in March and 16.5 per cent in April, data cited by Italy’s Ministry for Business showed.
Italian inflation rose in April to 8.8 per cent year-on-year, driven by a fresh spike in energy prices. ‘Core’ inflation, net of fresh food and energy, was stable at 6.8 per cent year-on-year.
The high price of pasta is at odds with falling wheat costs.
In March 2022, the price of wheat hit its highest level in more than a decade due to the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine, but as of April had fallen to the lowest level since July 2021.
Italian consumer rights group Assoutenti has warned the high price tags Italians are facing for pasta is due profit-seeking by industry, and has proposed a ‘pasta strike’ to force prices down.
“High prices are maintained in order to have greater profits. Prices will fall only in the face of a significant drop in consumption,” Assoutenti told US news outlet CNBC.
The consumer advocates are proposing a strike of at least 15 days to reduce pasta consumption and force businesses to lower their prices.
If actioned, the ‘pasta strike’ would follow a one-day boycott on buying pasta in 2007, in protest against price hikes of nearly 20 per cent.
“Pasta, bread, milk – these are the most important things. We are not protesting for perfumes or jewels, but for pasta and bread,” one of the demonstrators at the 2007 protest in Rome said at the time.
Italy leads the world in pasta consumption, according to International Pasta Organisation (IPO) data from 2021.
Italians consume an average of 23.5 kilograms of pasta per year per capita, the data shows, followed by Tunisia with 17kg, Venezuela with 15kg, Greece with 12.2kg and Peru with 9.9kg.
Around 16.9 million tons of pasta was produced in 2021, with Australia accounting for 0.3 per cent of global consumption, the IPO found.
The Italian government’s May pasta crisis summit was the first meeting of Italy’s new inflation committee, comprised of public authorities and consumer associations, set up by the government to monitor unusual price movements.
A representative of the Italian National Institute of Statistics told the committee that the price of pasta may drop significantly in coming months.
