The majority of Italians have changed their daily menus in order to cope with rising food prices, the Confederation of Italian Farmers (CIA) said Friday.
Around 60% have been serving up meals with different and less costly ingredients this year, while 35% have reduced the quantity of food they buy and 34% have opted for purchasing products of inferior quality, CIA said.
Around 40% of Italians have reduced purchases of fruit and vegetables, 36% purchases of bread and 39.5% purchases of beef.
But purchases of pasta, milk products and poultry were up, according to the confederation.
Despite the fact that Italians have been cutting back on the quantity of purchases, food spending increased by 2.5% in the first six months of 2008 and now stands at an average of 482 euros a month, CIA said.
This year's runaway inflation resulted in consumer groups calling a 'bread strike' on Thursday when shoppers were asked to leave the loaves on supermarket shelves in protest at what the groups see as unjustified hikes.
National statistics bureau Istat on Monday issued its definitive inflation report for August showing that prices for bread and pasta remained at record highs.
Pasta was up 25.6% over August 2007, compared to a 24.7% year-on-year rise in July. Bread showed a 12.2% hike in August compared to a 12.9% year-on-year hike in July.
