Increasing preference for exotic fruits in Spain

In Spain, fruit consumption in 2023 was 78.5 kilos per person per year, which represents a decrease of 2.7% compared to the previous year. This is equivalent to 2 kilos less fruit consumed in households. The fruit groups that fell the most were citrus fruits, pome fruits and red fruits, while demand for exotic fruits, stone fruits and melons and watermelons increased, according to local media.

 

Citrus fruits (orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin) and exotic fruits (banana, kiwi, pineapple, avocado and custard apple) were the most purchased fruits in households, with a per capita consumption of 18.5 and 18.7 kilos per person per year, respectively. They were followed by pome fruits (grapes, apples and pears) with 13.9 kilos, melons and watermelons with 13.4 kilos, stone fruits with 6.5 kilos and red fruits with 2.1 kilos per person per year.

 

In 2023, exotic fruits showed the best performance, with an increase of 1.32 kilos per person per year, thus reversing the order of importance in per capita consumption compared to 2022. In the previous year, citrus fruits were the most consumed, with a difference of 4.29 kilos more than exotic fruits.

 

Per capita consumption of stone fruits and melons and watermelons also increased, with increases of 3.1% and 1.8% respectively, according to the Report on Food Consumption in Spain 2023.