NoYou don’t need to look at the graphs to realize this, just go to the supermarket to understand that the prices of those primary products that were once bought “serenely”today they have increased to the point of forcing you to do the math before putting them in your cart. From 2021 to today, according to the Istat report, food goods have experienced increases of close to 25% and this, for many Italian families, was not indifferent, but it literally changed the way they shop.
The cart is the same, but the account has changed
Food, as we know, is not just a budget item, it is an integral part of daily life, so much so that behind the figures there is much more than technical data. The strongest increasesIndeed, they were on essential goodsthose that make up the basic diet of millions of families: bread, which costs almost a quarter more, vegetables which have increased in price by more than 30%.milk and cheese which weigh 28% more on the receipt. All this has resulted in poorer spendingnot only in the wallet, but also in nutritional quality.
Who pays more? Families with less
The point, however, is not just that food costs more. The point is that not everyone can absorb these increases in the same way. Istat says it bluntly: families with lower incomes are the most exposed because food weighs more on their budget. If on average food represents 16.6% of family spending, for those who have less, this percentage can rise to 20, 25, even 30% of the monthly budget. And this is where the mechanism breaks down: food is not an expense that can be cut, like a trip or a subscription. And so, when the price goes up, quality is cut. We give up fish, reduce meat, and move on to packaged products. And so, the increase is not only economic, but also nutritional, social and psychological.
According to Istat, food prices have increased by 24.9% in four years. But behind this figure there are increasingly difficult daily choices (Getty)
It’s not just Italy: a long European wave
The phenomenon is not isolated. In Germany, food prices increased by 32.8%, in Spain by 29.5%, in the eurozone by 29% overall. France recorded more moderate increases, but still above 20%. In short, the whole of Europe has seen the cost of food rise, with peaks that have exceeded general inflation. It is a widespread crisis, therefore, which has common roots and local consequences.
The causes: a perfect storm
What caused this surge, says Istat, it was a “combination of factors”especially external. After the pandemic, the economic recovery increased global demand for food commodities. But supply hasn’t kept pace: over adverse climatic eventsa frictions in supply chainssince February 2022, the Russian invasion and international sanctions, such as the blockade of natural gas, they caused energy prices to explodeso much so that in Italy, between October 2021 and November 2022, the cost of energy goods rose by 76%. The energy, however, it is an invisible but fundamental ingredient in food production, especially for fresh products. This is why its increase has had a direct and disproportionate impact on the sector.
Food as a mirror of inequalities
In conclusion, the shopping cart is not just a container of products, but a mirror of society. When the price of food increases, it becomes a precise indicator of inequalitiesan alarm signal that tells much more than what you see on the receipt. This is why talking about price increases is not enough. In addition to purchasing power, in fact, many people are losing much more: they are losing the possibility of choosing to eat welltransforming the shopping cart into a litmus test of social fragility.