Consumers call for bread strike in Italy

ROME, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Consumer groups in Italy are calling for a national bread-buying strike for Thursday to protest food inflation while wheat prices are falling.

''The government cannot stand on the sidelines and must step in to help thousands of families who risk bankruptcy,'' said the consumer group Codacons.

Consumer groups have asked for a meeting with Premier Silvio Berlusconi. They also say inflation is higher than the national statistics bureau admits, the Italian news service ANSA reported Monday.

The national agency said Monday prices for pasta were up 25.6 percent from a year ago compared with a 24.9 percent annual inflation rate reported in July. Wheat prices, on the other hand, dropped 2.9 percent in August, Confagricoltura, a farmers' group, reported.

Farmers have been supportive of food strikes in the past, claiming rising prices are not pushed by prices they received.

''The situation for Italian families is dramatic and what is needed is a real economic jolt,'' observed the consumer group Federcomsumatori.