Sardinian families in difficulty, even the middle class cuts food spending

First it was necessary to give up the "superfluous", travel and holidays, a new dress or a pair of shoes, or a dinner in a restaurant and the gym. Then, given that the accounts never add up, between the mortgage, bills, petrol, taxes and medical visits, families have come to cut back on spending and reduce the quantity and quality of the food purchased. Thus, even those who until some time ago managed to make it, the middle class with a fixed salary, are now slowly sliding towards food poverty, that is, the impossibility of having balanced and nutritious meals.

Over-indebtedness

«Many people, to save money, are going to buy in discount stores, but it's still not enough, they're tightening their belts everywhere, but they can't make it to the end of the month», says Mauro Carta, regional president of the ACLI. "We have activated the office on over-indebtedness, that is, we offer advice to families who have too many things to pay, and the amount of people who come to ask for help is truly frightening."

The data

The numbers released by Istat in recent days describe a black picture. In 2022, the share of those who declared they had limited spending on food (from 24.4% to 29.5%), drinks (from 29.6% to 33.3%) and goods and services for care and personal hygiene (from 31.7% to 35.6%).

Social services

Marco Camboni, councilor for social services in Quartu, explains that «before in the municipal lists there were always the same names of indigent people, but now there is an exponential increase in families in difficulty, people who, let's say, have no past welfare, who have approached to ask for help or we have intercepted them, because in many cases they feel ashamed."

The parishes

Don Giorgio Fois, a priest in Iglesias, says that «families are increasingly in crisis, and unfortunately many also go to steal out of hunger. With the parishes and Caritas we have created a kind of consortium, the Solidarity Emporium, a supermarket where people can go and do their shopping, have points, and can buy basic necessities."

Cristina Cossu