Italian group calls off pasta strike after costs fall, but produce prices still pinch

Italians can celebrate lower pasta prices but must face higher prices across the board for fruit and vegetables. Italy’s industry ministry reported last week that prices of pasta had fallen by an average of 0.3% in May compared with a month earlier, saying that a monitoring system it set up had the intended effect of reducing prices. As a result, the Assoutenti consumer group called off a pasta strike planned for this week, intended to force down prices by reducing demand. However, vegetable prices in May rose an average of nearly 15% over the previous year, while potato prices went up 22%.