Nine out of 10 people believe Ireland is an expensive place to buy both food and drink.
This is according to a new survey of 1,001 Irish adults, in response to a recent study which said that Ireland is the fourth most expensive country in the world for food and non-alcoholic drinks, and the second most expensive for alcohol.
The survey found the top three food/drink categories that consumers said are too expensive are:
- Alcohol (75%),
- Meat (62%),
- Fruits/Vegetables (36%)
While the most regularly bought categories are:
- Fruits/Vegetables (69%),
- Meat (54%),
- Breads/Cereals (53%).
Further findings show that men (23%) are twice as likely to frequently buy alcohol than women (11%).
Four in five women (78%) regularly buy fruit and veg but only three in five men (60%) do similar.
On average, Irish people spend €182 per person every month on groceries.
Broken down by age, the average grocery spend per person is as follows:
- 18-34 - €165
- 35-54 - €188
- 55+ - €192
According to the research, if food and drink was not so expensive, Irish people would spend their money on; savings (61%), holidays (56%), and home improvements (42%).
When asked about their methods for keeping costs down during grocery shops, people said; shopping at cheaper stores (60%), look for coupons/savings (49%) and buy in bulk (47%).
Three in five (65%) Irish people say that laws should be in place to lower the costs.
