Spaniards switching to cheaper fruits

Spiralling food inflation is driving Spaniards to change their consumption habits. Fruit prices in April were 10.3% higher than a year previously, with watermelons costing 18.7% more than in 2021.

According to a survey by the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU), the rise in food prices is the highest in 28 years, prompting 62% of consumers to modify their purchasing habits in line with their reduced disposable income. What’s more, one in five respondents report having stopped buying foods such as meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. The latest data from this consultant showed a 4.6% drop in the volume of fruit sold for the first four months of 2022

Ignacio Biedma of NielsenIQ said that there has been a switch to different families of fruit, with consumers substituting expensive seasonal produce such as watermelon and peach with cheaper unseasonal produce such as bananas or apples.