Young people consume fewer vegetables than expected

In 2023, retirees positioned themselves as the largest consumers of vegetables, reaching 30% of the total purchased, says the MAPA's Report on Food Consumption in Spain in 2023. This group is especially prominent, as their proportion of purchases exceeds their demographic representation, which is 24.6%. Similarly, childless adult couples accounted for 17% of consumption, while their weight in the population is 12%.

 

 

 

Retirees also led in per capita consumption, reaching 89.7 kilos per person, which represents a consumption of 40.8 kilos more than the overall average. Behind them are independent adults with 80.7 kilos per year and childless couples with 75.5 kilos.

 

 

 

In contrast, couples with young children contributed 23% of total consumption, while those with middle-aged children accounted for 30% of consumption.

 

 

 

When the person in charge of household purchases is over 50 years of age, more vegetables are purchased, a pattern similar to that observed for fruit purchases. These households account for 70% of the total consumption of fresh vegetables, although they constitute only 58% of the population.

 

 

 

At the opposite extreme, households headed by people under 35 years of age are the ones that purchase the least vegetables, consuming only 5%, compared to the 10% of the population they represent.