Spanish household fresh fruit and vegetable consumption remains stable despite mixed category performance

Spanish household consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables remained stable during the January-July period when compared to the same months of 2024.

Data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Food Consumption Panel, processed by Fepex, showed fresh produce consumption came in at just over 4mn tonnes for the period.

This represented a slight year-on-year decrease of 2 per cent in demand for potatoes and other vegetables, and an increase of 2 per cent for fruit.

Fresh vegetable consumption in the first seven months of the year fell to 1.337mn tonnes.

The decline was seen in vegetables such as tomatoes, with 315,000 tonnes (down 3 per cent); peppers, at 109,000 tonnes (down 5 per cent); and the lettuce, escarole, and endive group, with 91,000 tonnes (down 1 per cent).

Onion consumption remained stable at 162,000 tonnes, while potato consumption decreased 2 per cent to 474,000 tonnes.

Fruit consumption rose 2 per cent during the seven months in question to 2.203mn tonnes.

Oranges, bananas, and watermelons were the most purchased fruits during the period analysed, and all three categories saw increases.

Household orange consumption reached 364,000 tonnes (up 6 per cent), banana consumption grew 2 per cent to 364,000 tonnes, and watermelon consumption jumped 17 per cent to 241,000 tonnes.

The report also highlighted growth in strawberry consumption, up 5 per cent year-on-year to 108mn tonnes.

In terms of value, household consumption of fruits and vegetables reached €9.14bn through January-August this year, an 8 per cent increase.

Of this total, €5.184bn was fruit sales (up 11 per cent), €3.361bn was vegetables (up 4.5 per cent), and €595mn was potatoes (up 1 per cent).