Ice cream, in a city in Emilia Romagna, the second most expensive in Italy.

Bologna, July 26, 2025 – Summer 2025 brings not only heat, but also a significant increase in ice cream prices, with a nationwide increase of nearly 30% over the last four years. While the average price of a 1 kg tub in Italy stands at €5.87, in Emilia Romagna the situation is particularly high.

The city where ice cream is most expensive in the region and the second most expensive city in Italy, after Florence (8.05 per kg), is Forlì, with 7.68 euros per kg, followed by Bolzano (7.19 euros), Ravenna (7.18 euros) and Biella (7.14 euros).

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How the research was conducted

Data from the Consumer Training and Research Center (CRC), which processed data published by the dedicated MIMIT observatory, were analyzed, comparing the current prices of a 1 kg tub of ice cream in all Italian cities with those in effect in 2021.

Leap in price increases

But it's not just the price itself that's worrying consumers in Emilia-Romagna; price increases are also record-breaking in some provinces. Modena stands out for the most significant increase since 2021, with a 50.4% jump, ranking second nationally for increases, right after Padua. Although the overall price trend has stabilized after the sharp increases caused by energy prices and the war in Ukraine, the commodity crisis, particularly cocoa, continues to impact costs.

The causes of the increases

Why has the cost of ice cream, a must-have summer staple, risen so much? Milk, sugar, and cocoa prices have all increased, compounded by the rising energy costs of recent years.

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Ice cream packages are getting smaller and smaller

Another factor highlighted by Federconsumatori concerns quantity: while artisanal ice cream cones are becoming increasingly larger and more distinctive (from cocoa to almonds to gluten-free), and therefore more expensive, packaged ice creams (cones and sticks) are increasingly smaller. Sticks, in particular, have shrunk in size by 15 percent since 2002.