Istat reported that the average household expenditure for food and beverages (461 euros/month) dropped 3% from its 2008 values. The Italian Statistics Office explained that “The decrease in expenditure followed the increase observed in 2008, which was essentially due to the persistent inflationary dynamics affecting these goods. 35,6% of families declared they cut down on the amounts and/or quality of the food products they bought in 2009 compared to the year before.” 63% of the households stated they cut down only on quantity while 15% reported abating quantity and quality.
