Italian families can expect to spend less this Easter for their traditional foods thanks to a decline in prices for typical holiday products like chocolate eggs and the colomba (dove) cake, the ADOC consumer group said on Thursday.
''Prices for typical Easter foods, excluding meat, are on the decline after years of uninterrupted growth,'' ADOC said.
According to the consumer group, the average price of a brand name chocolate egg, weighing 200-250 grams, is 2.5% less than it was in 2008, while a simple colomba cake costs 10.4% less.
Prices were also said to be down for the Neapolitan pastiera cake and artichokes.
Thanks to the drop in prices, ADOC observed, Italian families can expect to spend almost 5% less for their Easter feast.
The decline in prices, ADOC explained, was the result not only of the fact that the upward spiral of food prices has leveled off, ''but also because consumers are now more inclined to spend less and better''.
While Italians will be paying less for their Easter treats, they will be shelling out more for their main course with prices of lamb this year running some 2.4% higher than in 2008.
