Rise in consumption of fruit and vegetables

FRUIT, potatoes and fresh vegetables represented 13.4 percent of the total amount spent by Spaniards on food in 2005, in restaurants as well as in the home. The total amount spent rose to 77'810 million euros in 2005 and the Balearics exceeded the national average for consumption of fruit.
According to the Food Consumption Panel, part of the national Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), this percentage is below the expenditure on meat (21.4 percent), similar to expenditure on fish (13.3 percent) and is above the expenditure on milk and other dairy produce (10.7 percent). The Spanish last year spent 9.5 million euros on fruit and vegetables, of which 4.2 million was on vegetables, 10.1 percent more than in 2004, and 5.3 million on fruit (5.6 percent more than 2004). With regard to the consumption of fruit, this rose by 1.7 percent in relation to 2004 and totalled 2.8 million tonnes, while the demand for vegetables, both for home consumption and eating out, grew by 2.4 percent to 4.4 million tonnes. As for the comsumption and expenditure per person in the home, in 2005 it was 115.30 euros on 93.2 kilos of fruit, while for vegetables it was 115.30 euros on 56.2 kilos.