The report 'Purchase and consumption indicators for fruit and vegetables', carried out by Aecoc, reveals that 73% of Spanish consumers eat fruit at least once a day (1.7 times a day per person on average), compared to 47% who eat vegetables daily.
The study shows an upward trend in consumption, since 46% of respondents say they have increased their purchase of fruits in recent years, and 47% have increased their consumption of vegetables.
One of the reasons for the growth is the rising popularity of convenience, ready-to-eat products. 38% of respondents buy peeled and cut fruit containers at least once a week, and 62% always include bags or bowls of clean, fresh cut salad in their weekly groceries.
Some of the most consumed fruits are bananas (87%), apples (79%), oranges (79%), strawberries (78%) and mandarins (71%). In the case of vegetables, potatoes and tomatoes are consumed by 90% of respondents, followed by lettuce, with 88% and onions, with 86%.
The study also reveals that children replicate the consumption patterns of adults, since 70% of the children of the respondents claim to eat fruit one or more times a day, and 45% eat vegetables daily.
Purchases, in the supermarket
The sale in bulk in supermarkets consolidates as the preferred purchase option for 65% of fruit and vegetable consumers, followed by neighborhood greengrocers.
55% of consumers prefer stores where they can serve themselves autonomously, without staff involved, as this allows them to choose their products personally (84%), quickly (24%), comfortably (23%) and with budget control (21%).
However, staffed stores are still the most highly rated by consumers, with scores of 8.56 for those within markets and 8.23 for the specialized stores at street level.
