The consumption of fresh produce across Spanish households dropped 3.8 per cent in the first half of the year, down to 3.8m tonnes, with demand falling for fruits, vegetables and potatoes.
While volumes fell, spending actually increased slightly, up 0.5 per cent to €5.79bn, according to data from the Food Consumption Panel of the Ministry of Agriculture.
By category, fruit consumption dropped 3.4 per cent to just over 2m tonnes, with oranges, bananas, apples, mandarins and strawberries all suffering dips.
By contrast, watermelons, melons and cherries enjoying consumption growth.
The demand for vegetables fell 4.9 per cent year-on-year to 1.3m tonnes, with tomatoes, onions and peppers the main culprits.
'For Fepex, the continued decline in the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables in households is very worrying, so it is considered necessary to promote the demand for fruits and vegetables by linking it to its positive effects on health and social welfare,' the organisation stated.
