Italy to go on pasta strike

Consumers' associations in Italy have asked people to refrain from buying or eating pasta for the day, in protest against recent price increases. The groups are requesting the government intervene to reduce pasta prices.

An increase in the price of wheat in recent months has forced pasta manufacturers to pass on the cost. Pasta is a national dish in Italy, with each Italian eating on average 28 kg (62 lb) of pasta every year.

The leader of one consumer association, Elio Lannutti, said the objective of the pasta strike was to forgo pasta for one day, in order to have more of it in the days to come.

Italian supermarkets may mark up pasta prices by 20% by the end of this year. Global warming and the growing use of durum wheat as a bio-fuel are blamed for the steep rise in pasta prices. The price for durum flour, the main ingredient for Italian pasta, has risen from 0.26 euro per kg (£0.18) to 0.45 euro per kg in the last two months.