Italian retailers warn of food shortages caused by truck drivers' protest
Road and port blockades have left supermarket shelves bare in Naples and surrounding regions, with retailers warning conditions could worsen without resolution.
- Truckers in Sicily and Southern Italy staged blockades of roads, motorways, and ports this week, protesting surging diesel and operating costs. The disruptions halted deliveries to supermarkets and factories, causing widespread shortages.
- Diesel prices have risen "more than 50 cents a litre" since the Iran war began, compounded by broader operating costs that hauliers say the government has neglected. These financial pressures make transport businesses increasingly unsustainable.
- Major pasta producers Rummo and La Molisana suspended operations after depleting raw material stocks, while supermarkets in Naples reported empty fruit and vegetable displays. This supply chain breakdown threatens Italy's food manufacturing capacity.
- Transport Minister Matteo Salvini met with trucking associations on Tuesday to discuss demands, while Deputy Infrastructure Minister Edoardo Rixi announced a package worth "more than €150 million" to help hauliers cope. Protests remain ongoing despite these pledges.
- Sicily's hauliers committee warned that blockades could persist until October 27 if negotiations fail to secure lasting agreements. Even after restrictions end, distribution centres will require time to clear backlogs and restore normal deliveries.
251 Articles
251 Articles
A protest by Italian truckers against fuel prices and the cost of living is causing food shortages in trade, with interruptions in deliveries and rotting fresh products, said retailers on Wednesday (21). Also read: After protests, Macron promises order in France and calls for external criticism of ‘stupid' crisis in institutions is global The protests, which started in southern Italy last week, also damaged the operations of at least two regiona…
EADaily, 22 October 2026. Road transporters ' protests in Italy led to interruptions in the supply of food and other goods, as reported to the Confcommercio Business Association.
Giorgia Meloni celebrates this Thursday four years in charge of the Italian government, but the wave of protests on several fronts overshadow the anniversary. While Milan takes steps to face new youth demonstrations on Saturday, in the south of the country, after the sixth day of strike by transporters against the increase in the price of fuel, supermarkets begin to empty themselves and to worry about air traffic. Despite the fact that the gover…
PROTESTS by road hauliers in southern Italy over high fuel prices are threatening pasta production and making food supplies more difficult, producers and food sector representatives have warned.
Italian retailers warn of food shortages caused by truck drivers' protest
A protest by Italian truck drivers over fuel prices and the cost of living is causing food shortages in shops, with deliveries disrupted and fresh produce rotting, retailers said on Wednesday.
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