Italians spent about 9 billion euros more in 2023 to eat less: due to high prices, in fact, they had to cut the amount of food and drinks purchased by 3.9 percent. This is according to Coldiretti's annual projection of Istat data on retail trade in the first eleven months compared to the same period in 2022. The trend is confirmed by the fact that low-cost food purchases are flying, with discount food outlets posting a +8.5 percent jump in value, the highest among retail shelves. The result of the discounters highlights the difficulties faced by Italian families who, driven by price increases, are directing their spending to low-priced channels. If at the top of the list of shopping cart-saving strategies is the use of discounts and promotions, in second place is the cutting of waste, with greater sensitivity to reducing the amount of food that ends up in the dustbin with economic and environmental effects, including through the use of day after recipes, with the cooking of leftovers and the use of doggy bags at restaurants, which almost 1 in 2 Italians (49 percent) are ready to ask for. According to Coldiretti/Censis, 77 percent of Italians regularly prepare a shopping list with related planning of what to buy that helps keep impulse purchases under control and manage family budgets more wisely.
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