Pasta Power: Italians Unleash Protest against Price Gouging

Italian consumer associations have called for a pasta strike in response to the rising prices of pasta in supermarkets. The strike began on June 22 and will last until June 29, during which Italians are being urged not to buy pasta in supermarkets. The strike is a response to the soaring prices of pasta, which have risen by twice the rate of inflation, and is aimed at pressuring retailers to lower their prices. One consumer advocate group, Assoutenti, is leading the strike and hopes that keeping pasta off the shelves will exert enough pressure on retailers to drive prices down.

The Italian government has held a crisis meeting on the issue but has decided not to intervene on prices, instead opting to strengthen price monitoring by working more closely with the country’s 20 regions. Spain has also taken measures to address rising food prices by abolishing all value-added tax on essential products and halving tax on cooking oil and pasta to 5%.