Previewed at the VII edition of the Food Journalism Festival the results of the survey "The high cost of living in the shopping cart" carried out by Altroconsumo which asked consumers how their eating habits have changed in this period of crisis and which took place between 26 and on 29 April 2022 on a sample of consumers aged between 25 and 79, distributed as the general population in terms of sex, age and geographical area.
Today the guest on the tables is the high cost of living: after energy and transport, food is the item most affected by high prices with a + 7,6% of prices of essential products from April to May 2022. Due to the surge in costs, 68% of Italians (which rises to 75% among those in economic difficulty) have changed their eating habits by choosing low-cost products, rationing products in the shopping cart and going to the restaurant less.
Even the wealthy are tightening their belts
If inflation is more severe on low-income families, its effects do not spare anyone. 68% of those with no financial problems say they have started tightening their belts starting this year. But what is most surprising is that even among those who declare themselves wealthy, and therefore would have no need to change their shopping list, there are many (about 39%) who have revised their eating habits. A sign that the rise in prices, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, shortages in supply chains generate a climate of mistrust about future prospects, which however has immediate effects. So much so that 62% of all respondents argue that they are afraid of spending money because they expect even more difficult times to come.
From branded to cheaper products
Towards which food consumption are Italians turning to preserve their purchasing power? The most frequently used strategy is to favor cheaper products to the detriment of those of the best-known brands. One in three Italians (33%) buys more "first price" products (that is, with the absolute lowest shelf price in the category), supermarket brand foods (the so-called "private labels") and supermarkets in general. discounted.
The shopping cart shrinks
Converting from more expensive to less expensive products isn't the only way to save money, some have started rationing what they put in their shopping cart. Not bad if you cut out non-essential food and drinks (such as alcohol, sweets, salty snacks, etc.) done by 29% of respondents, but more worrying is that one in five Italians (21%) has instead started to limit, of high prices, the purchase of important foods such as fish and meat. Furthermore, the climate of uncertainty continues to push purchases of long-life products (canned foods, sugar, pasta and flour): 20% admit to having bought more in recent months, also a sign of the growing fear of uncertainty. towards the near future.
Inflation or speculation?
But how important is the war in Ukraine in the dynamics of prices in the food sector? For the majority of Italians (51%) it was the trigger, because it is precisely since the Russian invasion that they began to notice the increase in prices on food products. The number (44%) of those who instead trace the beginning of the price increases to a period prior to the conflict is also high. And if for some foods the incredible surge in prices is actually linked to the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine - an example is sunflower oil, imported from Eastern Europe whose cost in the last year has increased by 85% - less justified is the increase in the cost of coffee (+ 11%), due instead to production in areas affected by climate change.
Few doubts about the speculations taking place
It is also interesting to note that citizens have few doubts about the presence in the current market of speculative phenomena. It is in fact the overwhelming majority, 75% of the interviewees, who are convinced that the prices of some products - not just food - have increased despite the fact that they are goods not directly linked to the crisis. Now more than ever it is important to focus on the transparency of the markets and on greater supervision by the Authorities. In this sense Altroconsumo urged the Antitrust to shed light on speculations and intervene with appropriate sanctions.
