New sales data for the first quarter of 2021, published by leading Irish retail group BWG Foods, shows that Irish consumers have embraced a healthier lifestyle this year by consuming record levels of fruit and vegetables.
Overall, vegetable sales are up 18 per cent on the same period last year, with fruit up six per cent. The best-selling vegetables included peppers, which were up 17 per cent in the first three months of 2021, and the ever-popular potato, up 15 per cent, while the humble carrot experienced a 26 per cent increase. Sales of asparagus, meanwhile, were up an incredible 138 per cent.
Bananas remain the most popular fruit among Irish consumers; however, strawberries were up 25 per cent on the same period last year. The overall biggest gain was in the citrus category with easy peelers up approximately 65 per cent during the period.
Data from BWG Foods, owner and operator of the SPAR, EUROSPAR, Londis, MACE, and XL retail brands which together have a network of more than 1,000 stores across Ireland, also showed that consumers revisited their love for family baking as a result of the latest lockdown, with the sale of home baking products up four per cent.
With people spending less time on the move and more time cooking at home, indulgent categories such as food-on-the-go options have seen a decrease in sales of almost 15 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
That said, from a seasonal perspective, consumers have been ready to reward themselves on pivotal occasions after three months of healthy eating, with Irish shoppers quick to pick up a treat for themselves, purchase a gift for someone else, or try a new product. Retailers have seen a phenomenal 31 per cent increase in sales of boxed chocolates and sweets, helped no doubt by Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, while large sharing chocolate bars have increased by 17.17 per cent.
Figures also show that Irish shoppers used the latest lockdown to spruce up their homes with an early spring clean as the sales of household cleaning products increased 34 per cent since the start of March.
