Consumer behaviour is being shifted due to new price hikes

The report, based in recent official statistics, said that household spending on food grew 3.88% to €3,481 per household in 2020, from 3,351 in 2019.

The increase was biggest in spending on alcohol (17.76%) and household cleaning items (detergents, paper, etc) up 11.24%, while spending on personal care fell 9.51% and restaurants dropped 33.45%.

In total, spending on food, including food purchase and consumption in restaurants, fell 7.22% to €5,083 in 2020.

In the decade 2009-2020, household spending on food and beverage was down 10.28%. In the 2016-2019 period, per capita spending on food and beverages grew 3.83% to €1,388, while in 2020 spending grew 8.36% to €1,449.

The report unveiled that spending on groceries remained below the previous decade’s levels, but spending as a percentage of total household purchases rose. In 2009, spending on food accounted for 17.3% of average household spending, rising to 23.1% in 2020.