Inflation forces 47% of Italian families to reduce the amount of food they buy owing to price hikes in the shopping basket. According to a survey done by Coldiretti/Censis and based on recently released statistics from ISTAT, food prices increased by 13.3% in November 2022 compared to the same month the previous year. When we examine the low-income population, the proportion of individuals who cut their food intake climbs to 60%. In addition to those who have been compelled to put fewer items in their shopping carts to make ends meet, 37% of Italians choose to save money on quality (46% of those with low incomes). Thus, the renunciations are stratified along social lines according to the logic of the "food social gap," where adults and youth make more severe sacrifices than the elderly, and where those with lower incomes make more severe sacrifices than those with higher incomes. Furthermore, more than six out of ten Italians who have reduced their purchases believe that the current scenario will persist at least until 2023. Spirits, which 44% of Italians have had to give up entirely or almost entirely, top the list of items hit hardest by the consumer ax. Desserts come in second with 44% less consumption, while cured meats come in third with 38.7% less consumption, just ahead of fish (38%), and meat (37%). Furthermore, the cost of living causes a decline in infant food purchases, with 31% of individuals purchasing less. In tough times, several fundamental Mediterranean diet products such as fruit (reduced by 16% of customers), vegetables (cut by 12%), and pasta (cut by 11%) are the least impacted.
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