Italians see changes in diet as food costs rise

Italians are losing the taste for pasta as the price of the popular carbohydrate continues to rise.

To make matters worse, other Italian favourites such as bread, fruit and veg are seeing their prices shoot through the roof. It gets worse, though. The Italians, known for their love of quaffing sumptuous wines, seem to be shying away from the vino. Sales of red wine in the country have fallen by 5%.

Corriere della Sera, a newspaper in Italy, said: “Sales are falling of the products which are the symbols of Italian cuisine. Pasta is not just part of our diet, it is part of our culture”.

DietPixie reported last week on the spiralling cost of rice in the UK, and now it seems that other countries are suffering. Experts put the price rises down to countries such as China and India developing a more Westernised diet, as well as the effects of global warming.

There are also reports that Italian fibre consumption has decreased, probably due to busier lifestyles and less time to cook with fresh vegetables.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. In a slight consolation for the Italian traditionalists, sales of olive oil have risen by 1.5%.

Source: Times Online