Balanced News: Pasta prices have surged, prompting crisis meetings in Italy and calls for a strike

Pasta prices in Italy have surged, with prices for the staple rising 17.5% in March and 16.5% in April, according to the country’s Ministry of Business. The price of wheat, a key ingredient, hit a decade high in March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which disrupted global agricultural supply chains. While the cost of wheat has since fallen, the price of pasta has remained high due to factors such as increased packaging and logistics costs, leading to calls for a pasta strike to reduce consumption, with some figures calling for a pasta price cap.