Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has launched a pact with the country’s industry aimed at keeping prices down on a range of essential goods, including food, personal care and baby items.

Consumer advocates said it could mean billions in savings for families.

The experimental programme runs from October 1 to December 31 and involves 32 associations that have agreed to discount or maintain a ceiling on the prices of particular items during the three-month period.

“I think this is the first time that the entire Italian system, from food production to general consumer products, signed a pact with the government to keep prices in the shopping cart under control, to help families, especially those in difficulty,” Ms Meloni said.

The Assountenti consumer group praised the project, calculating potential savings at four billion euros (£3.46 billion) but said there are many unknowns, including exactly which products are included.

The industry players include supermarket chains, small retailers as well as food and medicine producers.

Participating shops are expected to signal their participation with stickers in the green, red and white colours of the Italian flag.

Inflation is a challenge for Italy’s government, even if it has fallen from peaks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Italy’s economic development minister, Adolfo Urso, said the country’s inflation has dropped below the European Union’s average, from 11.7% when Ms Meloni took office last October to 5.4% in September.

The European Union’s statistics office will release new inflation figures on Friday.

Consumer prices in August rose 5.9% in the 27-nation EU from a year earlier and 5.2% in the 20 countries using the euro currency.

That is down from the eurozone’s record-high 10.6% in October 2022.