CRISIS: food consumptions fall, 60% families change their menu

The Italians tables suffer the economic crisis. Food consumers have changed and 60% of the families change their diet in the name of saving. This is what the Italian confederation of agriculture let us know: they underline that in the first semester a 0.3% increase has been recorded, compared to the same period of 2008, when, however, there was a terrible decrease. The forecasts for the whole year show a low trend as well, + 0.2%. This situation has brought 80% families to change their menu, 35% to limit their purchases, 34% to choose low-quality products. It has been found out in detail: in the first six months of the year there have been decreases in the demand of corn products (-2.8%), due over all to bread, to frozen first dishes, and to sweet biscuits, while the traditional pasta still resists. There have been also recorded decreases for red meat (-2.6%) and poultry (-3%), for the olive oil (-2.7%) and for wines and champagne (-2.9%). There has been no change for pork and vegetables. A bigger demand has been present for milk and its dairy products (+0.8%), in particular cheese and yoghurt. Fruit has increased its consumptions (+10%). The expense for food and drinks-it is underlined – is about € 475, in the first semester, about € 9 more compared to € 466 recorded in the same period of 2007. The percentage of families buying food at the hard-discount has been increasing. The supermarket is the prevailing place of shopping (68.1%), over all in the centre and in the North of Italy (over 70%).