Spain 05/07/2023

Spaniards consume less fruits and vegetables

 

In 2022, the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in Spanish households decreased by 12.2% and 13.4% respectively compared to the previous year, affecting all categories, according to the Report on Food Consumption in Spain 2022 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food.

The fresh vegetable group is divided into five categories: fruits and flowers, leaves, tender stems and pods, roots, bulbs and tubers, mushrooms, and other vegetables. All of these categories experienced a significant decline in consumption.

The highest household consumption belongs to the fruits and flowers group, which includes tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, zucchinis, peppers, cabbages, and broccoli. They account for almost 50% of the market volume and experienced a 14.1% decline in weight and a 1.5% decrease in value.

Root vegetables and bulbs (such as onions, carrots, and garlic) are the second most important group, representing nearly 20% of the purchased kilograms in the category. They experienced a 13.2% decrease in volume and a 5.8% decline in value.

The third most consumed group is leaves, tender stems, and pods, accounting for 13.3% of the total. They include green beans, asparagus, leafy vegetables, lettuce, escarole, and endives. The consumption of this group decreased by 12.4% in volume and 6.2% in value.

Regarding fresh fruits, the report highlights seven groups based on household consumption: citrus fruits (orange, lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit), exotic fruits (banana, kiwi, avocado, pineapple, and cherimoya), pome fruits (grapes, apples, and pears), stone fruits, berries, melons and watermelons, and other fruits. All categories experienced a decrease in volume, except for an increase in value for exotic fruits, pome fruits, berries, melons, and watermelons.

Citrus fruits account for over a quarter of the market volume and represent 19.1% of the category's value. They experienced an 8% decline in volume and a 4.3% decrease in value.

Exotic fruits rank second in volume, representing 21.6% of total purchased volume, and rank first in value, representing 26.3% of the fruit market. The volume of exotic fruits decreased by 14.2%, but their value increased by 0.6%.

Pome fruits, including grapes, apples, and pears, account for approximately 18.6% in volume and 18.2% in value. They also experienced a decline of 8.0% in volume and 4.2% in value.

Stone fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, and apricots, had a 10.6% volume decline but a 3.3% value increase. Demand for berries decreased by 7.3% in households, but their value rose by 13%. Lastly, melon and watermelon consumption dropped by 20.3%, but their value improved by 8.8%, according to the data from MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food).

source: fepex.es