There is a boom in the prices of cocoa and coffee, with the prices of the two raw materials reaching worrying new records on international markets, increases which could soon lead to sharp increases in retail prices for a multitude of products sold in Italy.
The alarm comes from Codacons, which has monitored the price trend in recent months.
At the beginning of January the price of cocoa was around 4,250 dollars per ton, while on Wednesday 24 April, market prices had reached 10,800 dollars, with an increase of +154% since the beginning of the year. – analyzes Codacons – A similar trend is recorded for coffee, with Robusta which went from 2,800 dollars a ton last January to 4,250 dollars on 24 April, marking a +51.8%, while Arabica rose in the same period from 190 to 224 cents per pound (+18%).
Skyrocketing prices that affect raw materials used for products widely consumed in Italy, and which risk causing rapid increases in the retail prices of a multitude of foods. – explains Codacons – Just think that Italians spend over 10.2 billion euros a year on cocoa and coffee-based products alone, around 392 euros per family: the turnover of chocolate in our country is around 2 billion euros, with a per capita consumption of around 2 kg. Pods and capsules are worth 595 million euros per year, while mocha coffee records sales of 640 million euros. The business of espresso coffee consumed at bars is worth 7 billion euros.
Retail prices have already been affected in the last period by the trend in prices, with the prices of cocoa and coffee-based products having increased significantly compared to last year – adds Codacons – Assuming an average increase in retail price lists in the +5% as a result of the increases in raw materials, consumers would face a new blow of 510 million euros just for the consumption of coffee and chocolate.
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