Greek consumer spending on food grew in 2020 compared with 2019, according to a report released on Monday by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods.
The report, based in recent official statistics, said that household spending on food grew 3.88% to 3,481 euros per household in 2020, from 3,351 in 2019. The increase was biggest in spending on alcohol (17.76% and household cleaning items (detergents, paper, etc) up 11.24 %, while spending on personal care fell 9.51% and restaurants dropped 33.45%. In total, spending on food, including food purchase and consumption in restaurants, fell 7.22% to 5,083 euros in 2020.
In the decade 2009-2020, household spending on food and beverage was down 10.28%. In the 2016-2019 period, per capita spending on food and beverages grew 3.83% to 1,388 euros, while in 2020 spending grew 8.36% to 1,449 euros.
The report said that spending on groceries remained below the previous decade's levels, but spending as a percentage of total household purchases rose. In 2009, spending on food accounted for 17.3% of average household spending, rising to 23.1% in 2020.
