L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 L'Italo-Americano P asta is, without a d o u b t , o n e o f I t a l y ' s m o s t beloved and pop- ular foods, but, as of late, it has been facing a crisis because of its soaring p r i c e . I n r e s p o n s e t o t h i s alarming situation, the Italian government recently con- vened crisis talks to investi- gate the reasons behind such a surge With the average Italian c o n s u m i n g , a s r e p o r t e d by CNN, approximately 23 kg (51 lbs) of pasta each year, it is not surprising that the issue has become so central. But why have pasta prices been rising so much? It may come natural to think it's because of an increase in the p r i c e o f w h e a t , t h e m a i n ingredient in pasta, but the t r u t h i s t h a t , i n r e c e n t months, wheat has actually become cheaper, while pasta prices have skyrocketed. In March last year, pasta cost 17.5% more than what it cost in 2021, far exceeding Italy's broader measure of consumer price inflation, as reported by CNN. While there was a slight moderation in April, prices still remained 16.5% higher than the previous year. This s i g n i f i c a n t i n c r e a s e h a s prompted concerns and calls for action. To address this pressing issue, the Italian govern- ment convened a commis- sion of lawmakers, pasta pro- ducers, and consumer rights groups in Rome; the commis- sion was chaired by Adolfo Urso, the country's Minister for enterprise, and sought to identify measures to bring down pasta prices while try- ing to better understand the reasons behind it. The com- mission found out that pasta prices were already showing weak signs of decrease, indi- cating the potential for a sig- nificant drop in the coming months The aim remains, however, that of closely moni- toring the market to protect consumers and ensuring that cost reductions in energy and raw materials such as durum wheat, are reflected in the retail price of pasta. When asked why prices keep on being this high, while the price of durum wheat and e n e r g y h a s s i g n i f i c a n t l y reduced in the past months, many producers assured the trend is only temporary and attributed it to the disposal of inventories made when the cost of raw materials was higher. S u r e l y , k n o w i n g t h a t prices should get lower soon it's good news, but many c o n s u m e r s a r e e a g e r t o k n o w w h e n . T h e s h e e r amount of pasta each and every Italian eats in a year (see above!) highlights its importance in Italian cuisine. But there is more because pasta is not only culturally significant for us, it has also always been accessible to all: a cheap and cheerful way to feed everyone healthily and without worrying about the wallet. In this day and age, with Italian salaries among the lowest in Europe, and families struggling to reach the end of the month, a rise in prices for such an impor- tant food staple is worrisome at best. Furio Truzzi, president of consumer rights group Assoutenti, expressed con- cerns about the impact on consumers of pasta's rising prices, emphasizing how we are talking about something that is deeply loved by Ital- ians. There is more, because a p p a r e n t l y , h i g h e r p a s t a prices do not translate into higher revenues for farmers a n d p r o d u c e r s o f d u r u m w h e a t , a c c o r d i n g t o Coldiretti, Italy's biggest farmers association: the price of durum wheat, which, by law, is the only wheat that can be used to produce pasta sold in Italy, has actually fall- en by 30% since May 2022, and farmers are struggling to meet their own costs. So why are retail prices still so high? It is also difficult to under- stand why, as noted by Min- ister Urso, there is a wide variation in retail pasta prices across different regions of Italy. Now, if it's true, as dis- covered by an analysis com- missioned by the govern- ment, that the average price of a one-kilogram box of pop- ular pasta varieties rose by over 25% in the year leading up to March, it is surprising to note that price increases changed significantly among regions, with some experi- encing much higher inflation than others. According to the Osservatorio del Minis- tero del Made in Italy, prices for 1 kg of pasta (around 2 lbs) go from 2,30 euros in M i l a n a n d 2 , 2 0 e u r o s i n Rome to 1,85 euros in Naples and 1,49 euros in Palermo. But the thing is that wheat costs the same, from North to South. A s s o u t e n t i , a l o n g w i t h Minister Urso, suggested that prices may have been artifi- cially inflated to boost profits and, for this, reason, they called for transparency and for the publication of a list of all stores where pasta is sold at a lower price, with the aim of promoting fair competi- tion. While no specific com- panies were blamed, the situ- ation, it has been pointed out, warrants further investi- gations into potential price speculation. Pasta producers, however, defended them- s e l v e s s t a t i n g t h a t p r i c e increases are, in fact, in line with inflation, as declared by Unione Italiana Food and r e p o r t e d b y w w w . i t a l i - aatavola.net. So what should we expect for the future? In the quest to stabilize pasta prices, discus- sions centered around multi- ple factors influencing retail prices, such as energy costs, p a c k a g i n g , a n d l o g i s t i c s . Ivana Calò, the spokesperson for Unione Italiana Food, which represents food pro- ducers, told CNN that all of these factors can affect the final shelf price of pasta and that they should be taken into account when consider- ing the current situation. So, it looks like all we can do is wait... or learn how to make pasta ourselves! GIULIA FRANCESCHINI Spaghetti, one of our favorite pasta shapes. Pasta prices got higher in recent months in Italy (Photo: Sam74100/Dreamstime) Why has pasta become so expensive in Italy? NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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