The statistics agency said Italian households spent an average of €447.96 a month on food in 2016.
The report also showed that meat spending has dropped by 4.8 per cent compared to 2015, even though it remained an important expenditure component.
Meanwhile, fruit spending increased by 3.1 per cent, while expenditure on fish and seafood rose by 9.5 per cent.
ISTAT said spending on restaurants and accommodation away from home increased by 4.8 per cent to take it back to pre-crisis levels.
With ANSA
