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The spiral of price increases does not spare the Easter weekend, starting with the symbolic gift for children and grandchildren: the Easter egg. Throughout Italy this year increases have reached +40%. In other words, a milk or dark chocolate egg, with a weight between 320 and 365 grams, has a price higher than 18 euros with a +33% on 2023. This is according to the findings of Codacons which reports how the dedicated lines for children, those with cartoon characters and TV series achieved “only” a +16.7%. The causes are to be found among the increases in cocoa, also at the center of speculative maneuvers which are added to all the increases in raw materials prices including sugar (+72%) and cocoa butter (+52%). In Italy, over 31 thousand tons of Easter eggs are produced with a turnover of over 300 million. With the same consumption, the increases will weigh 72 million.
Considering all the different expenditure items necessary for the table, Assoutenti estimates that this year Easter will cost almost a billion more, on average 36 euros more per family. The Confcooperative Study Center carried out a survey on the Italians’ propensity to spend and consume for Easter, calculating a total expenditure for Sunday lunch alone of 1.35 billion, which is affected by 150 million increases caused by inflation. Spending returns to pre-pandemic levels but smaller portions will be served at the table. Good Friday lunch for 10 million Italians in poverty did not include any specialties. For other Italians, there was a positive trend in fish consumption which increased by 50% with Lent and the low-fat Friday. Price increases for traditional products such as sheep and goat meat. This is according to Cia-Agricoltori Italiani which expects a 20% drop in lamb meat consumption due to increases (+10%) in sales prices which reach an average price of 18 euros per kilo. For PDO products such as Sardinian lamb and PGI from Central Italy and Roman lamb this year there was an increase in prices of 1.5 euros per kilo. In any case, we must not forget that all these latest increases are added to those of the last 2 years which have caused the prices of agri-food and consumer goods products to skyrocket.
The trip out of town or the car trip to reach relatives suffers due to the price increases at the petrol station which have brought the super very close to 2 euros per liter compared to the 1.78 recorded at the end of January. It is no better to look for a seat on the train because according to Assoutenti’s estimates, fares in the last month have seen a +5.9% on an annual basis while for a plane ticket to national destinations the cost rises on average by 13.1%. and +5.7% if you choose a European destination. This series of price increases pushes the association to ask the Government to “intervene as soon as possible to study truly effective measures to combat the increase in retail prices and to protect citizens’ incomes and purchasing power also through the use of observatories permanent premises”.