Italians trimming household budgets amid recession

ROME, April 23 (UPI) -- Italians, known the world over for their love of food, are making cuts in their household budgets to deal with a lengthy recession, economic officials said.

From 2007 to 2013, the number of Italians shopping at discount food stores has increased 21 percent, the Italian statistics agency Istat said Tuesday.

Unemployment in Italy is 11 percent, with young people particularly hard hit, the ANSA news agency said. A series of tax increases and spending cuts, aimed at reigning in the nation's debt problem, have increased the number of jobless Italians, worsening the recession.

Istat said 71 percent of Italians report cutting back on some manner of household expenditures, including doctor visits.