It's a Crisis: Why pasta prices are soaring in Italy

Italy’s favourite meal – pasta, which comes in many different forms – has recently become more expensive. Whether it’s spaghetti, lasagna, or ravioli, nearly all forms of pasta made with wheat, particularly durum wheat, are more expensive now than they were merely a few months ago. This has a significant impact on the food budgets of most households. But why the prices are increasing? Let’s take a look. Also read: The global inflation nightmare: It’s 167% in Lebanon, 70% in Sri Lanka Soaring pasta prices in Italy Due to rising energy prices and supply chain bottlenecks that have raised the price of wheat, pasta, a staple of Italian families and the basis of many of Italy’s most well-known recipes, has come under price pressure recently, according to Bloomberg. Reuters reported despite a drop in the price of wheat over the previous year, Italy’s cost of pasta has increased by 17.5 per cent. The harmonised index of consumer prices, which is Italy’s weighted average of goods and services, increased by 8.8 per cent in April. The Italian National Institute of Statistics recorded an increase in pasta costs of 16.3 per cent the next month compared to the prior year. [caption id=“attachment_12570002” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Students work on fresh pasta at the Barilla Academy in Parma. Reuters[/caption] The impact of inflation is much greater than it has been for other foods in recent years, particularly in Italy. The cost of pasta has gone up in line with the overall increase in the price of consumer products. Business Insider claims that the Ministry of Enterprises in Italy received a complaint from the consumer organisation Assoutenti after discovering that Italian households were being forced to pay an extra $27.60 (~Rs 2,264) this year. Given that the price of durum wheat, a crucial component of pasta, has dropped by roughly 30 per cent over the past year, the Italian agriculture organisation Coldiretti views the rising price of pasta as an “anomaly that needs clarification.” According to Ansa, the National Consumer Union believes the price of pasta may stay high until it is determined that betting on wheat prices is an “unfair practice.” Also read: Italy faces new drought alert after another dry winter Crisis meeting Italy’s industry minister Adolfo Urso called on Thursday for a crisis meeting over rising prices for pasta, according to Reuters. The crisis talks will be chaired by a government-appointed watchdog on inflation on 11 May, and will mark the first meeting of a new committee set up to monitor unusual price movements, the ministry said. Competent authorities and trade and consumer associations will take part in it, it added. Also read: Cutting Costs: How rising inflation is threatening Egypt's age-old traditions Inflation in Italy Italian inflation jumped unexpectedly in April, driven by another spike in energy  prices, the official statistics agency ISTAT said on 2 May. EU-harmonised consumer  prices  (HICP) rose a preliminary 1.0 per cent month-on-month, with annual inflation accelerating to 8.8 per cent from 8.1 per cent in March, well above the median forecast of a 7.8 per cent year-on-year rise. Loredana Maria Federico, chief Italian economist at UniCredit wrote, “Italy’s inflation dynamic continues to be affected by an ongoing adjustment in energy  prices, its most volatile component.” ISTAT underlined that the annual rise was mainly due to non-regulated energy products such as fuel for domestic use, electricity in the liberalised market and vehicle fuels. In the main domestic price index these elements jumped 26.7 per cent in April from an 18.9 per cent increase the month before. On the contrary, regulated energy products showed a wider decline than in March (-26.4 per cent from -20.3 per cent). Also read: Italy’s population shrinks to record low in 2022, fresh statistics show Pasta is also expensive in other countries According to Fortune, prices in the US have also dramatically climbed since last October. According to St. Louis Fed research, the average price of spaghetti and macaroni jumped from $1.067 (~Rs 88) per pound in October to $1.465 (~Rs 120) in March after peaking slightly above that amount in February. But there are distinctions between Italian and American pasta. The “purity law” of 1967, which demands that durum wheat, a hard-grained, coarse strain, be used in its manufacturing, applies to all dried pasta sold in Italy. This wheat strain produces pasta that retains its structure after cooking without becoming bland or mushy, but is a little more difficult to work with than traditional bread wheat. The soaring price of food in the UK including those of pasta and tinned edibles in December led to many households experiencing a “challenging Christmas." The price of ambient food increased 11 per cent in December against the same month a year earlier. Durum wheat makes up less than 10 per cent of all wheat produced worldwide. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.