Spanish consumption of fruit and vegetables falls below pre-pandemic level

Consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables in Spanish homes up to July this year totalled 4.09 million tons, 14% less than in the same period of 2021, 21% less than in the same period of 2020, and 10% less compared to 2019, according to the latest data available from the Food Consumption Panel of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The drop in household consumption to lower than 2019 levels suggests that the growth during the lockdowns was temporary and there has been a return to the falling demand for most fruits and vegetables witnessed prior to the pandemic.

In the case of vegetables, household demand rose from 1,541 million kilos in the period from January to July 2019 to 1,782 million kilos in 2020, before falling to 1,628 million kilos in 2021 and 1,378 million kilos in the same period of 2022.

In fruit, household consumption climbed from 2,480 million kilos from January to July 2019 to 2,758 million kilos in the same period of 2020, and then fell to 2,550 million kilos in 2021 and 2,218 million kilos in 2022.

Household spending in the analysed period stood at €7.595 billion, 5.5% less compared to the first seven months of 2021. It also fell compared to the same period of 2020, when it stood at €8.783 billion euros, but is up compared to before the pandemic (2019), when it stood at €7.158 billion.