Ever smaller ice creams, ever higher prices: an increase of 40% in five years. This is what emerges from a survey by Altroconsumo: ice cream sticks that fit in the palm of your hand and cones that, summer after summer, are visibly decreasing in number.
According to ISTAT data, ice cream prices have increased by 39.6% in just five years. The first real surge was recorded in 2022, with prices jumping 13% compared to the previous year. A similar situation occurred in 2023, when prices rose again, rising a further 16% compared to 2022. This phenomenon is also observed for other food products, as demonstrated by the latest survey on pizza and soft drink prices conducted in April, which found increases of up to 26% compared to 2021.
Ice cream prices have increased more than food inflation
This extraordinary growth is mainly linked to the energy and logistics crisis: in the two-year period 2022-2023, food prices recorded a historic increase in Italy, with average annual inflation for these goods of +8.8% in 2022 and +9.8% in 2023. According to data, ice cream prices increased more than food inflation.
Shrinkflation also in ice cream
Among the reasons behind ice cream price increases is shrinkflation, the phenomenon that shrinks product packaging but not its price. And it's true that some iconic ice creams have changed their format over the years.
Which ice creams have become smaller (with increasing prices)
To give some examples, consider that five years ago, a Magnum Classic weighed 79 grams; today, it has lost 4 grams, and its final weight is 75 grams. The same goes for Coppa del Nonno: five years ago, the product contained 72 grams; today, it weighs 65 grams. Maxibon currently weighs 96 grams, but in five years, it has lost 6 grams (in 2021, it weighed 102 grams). to purchase a Magnum Classic, we spend 26% more today than five years ago, 43% more for a Maxibon, and 25% more for Coppa del Nonno. This means that the increase in prices per kilo is even higher than those per portion: compared to 2021, the price of Maxibon has increased by 53%, followed by Coppa del Nonno (+38%) and Magnum Classic (+32%).
