French consumption of fresh produce falls while expenditure rises

The average amount spent by French households on fruit and vegetables increased by 0.9%, from €407.5 to €411.3 between 2017 and 2018. This increase is due to the average price rise of 4.6% for the 4th consecutive year, according to the Kantar report published by FranceAgriMer. By contrast, the average quantity purchased over a year has decreased from 168.3kg to 162.4kg. The price rises concern fruit the most (+5.1%), from €2.42 to €2.55/kg.

“This increase is most noticeable in metropolitan areas, where average purchase prices have risen 10.4% year on year,” according to the report.

The highest price increases were for apples (+12%) and kiwi fruit (+16.1%). The quantity of fruits purchased in a year fell by 3.6% to 82.3kg per household. Meanwhile, vegetable prices rose by 4.1% year-on-year, while sales volumes fell 3.4% to 80.1kg per household. Cauliflower (+15.4%), cucumber (+14.5%) and carrots (+21%) experienced the largest price increases.