According to the 2022 Food Consumption Report in Spain prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Spanish households' consumption of fresh fruits fell by 12.2% over the previous year, vegetable consumption decreased by 13.4%, and potato consumption by 9.7%. Consumption also fell compared to 2019, before the pandemic; a constant trend since 2008.
Spanish households purchased 3,731 million kilos of fresh fruits, i.e. 12.2% less volume than in the previous year, which places per capita consumption at 80.6 kilos a year. The value of purchases remained stable and only fell by 0.2%, standing at 7,242 million euro. Fresh fruit consumption decreased by 11% when compared to 2019, the year before the pandemic.
Consumption of fresh vegetables in 2022 fell by 13.4% compared to 2021, standing at 2,322 million kilos and 50.2 kilos per person per year. The value of the category decreased by 4.9%, totaling 4,945 million euro. Compared to 2019, demand for vegetables in households has fallen by 11.6%.
In 2022, potato consumption, including the consumption of fresh, frozen, and processed potatoes, decreased by 9.7% over 2021, totaling 1,222 million kilos and 26.4 kilos per person a year. In contrast, its value increased by 1.6% totaling 1,333 million euro. Compared to 2019, before the pandemic, household potato consumption has fallen by 4.1%.
Consumption of fresh potatoes, which account for 69.4% of the volume of potatoes that the households purchased, fell by 10.7% in 2022.
According to Fepex, this data shows that the Spanish population hasn't kept the commitment they made to consuming fresh fruits and vegetables during the 2020 lockdowns due to COVID and that the decreasing or stagnating trend of demand for most fruits and vegetables in the years prior to the pandemic is back. In addition, according to Spain's 2022 Food Consumption Report, last year's increase in the average price does not fully explain the decline in consumption, which has been occurring since at least 2018.
Source: fepex.es