During the year 2022, Spaniards increased their spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages by 5.1%, according to data presented this Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The average investment per household in this sector was 5,050 euros, which represents an increase of 244 euros compared to the previous year.
This spending on food represents 16% of total family spending, only behind the 32.4% that Spanish households spend on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels.
On the contrary, spending on alcoholic beverages and tobacco fell by 3% per year, which is equivalent to 15 euros less per household, leaving a total of 481 euros. While in restaurants and hotels, spending was considerably higher, amounting to 2,953 euros, 29.1% more than in 2021, that is, 665 euros more.
The INE also presented data broken down by type of food. It was noted that the highest spending was on meat, representing 3.5% of total spending, followed by bread and cereals with 2.2%. They are followed by milk, cheese and eggs with 1.9%; fish, legumes, vegetables and potatoes with 1.8% each; and finally, fruits with 1.7%.
Compared to the pre-pandemic situation, spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages has increased by 17.8% compared to 2019, which is equivalent to 764 euros more per household. However, the consumption of alcoholic beverages and tobacco has decreased by 6.8%, equivalent to 481 euros.
In relation to spending on restaurants and hotels, the INE reports a very small increase, of 0.3%, compared to 2019.
If the effect of inflation is taken into account, real spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages decreased by 5.8% in relation to 2021, but if we compare it with 2019, an increase of 1.4% can be observed.
