9 in 10 adults believe Ireland is an expensive place to buy food and drink

iReach Insights Press Release

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22nd August 2019

9 in 10 adults believe Ireland is an expensive place to buy food and drink. 

The average amount spent each month per person is €182

The top three food/drink categories consumers say are the most expensive are: 1. Alcohol (75%), 2. Meat (62%), and Fruits/Vegetables (36%)

The top three methods for keeping grocery costs down were: 1. Shop at cheaper stores (60%), 2. Look for coupons/savings (49%), and 3. Buy in bulk (47%)

65% believe Ireland should put laws in place to lower food and drink costs

According to a recent study done by Eurostat, Ireland is the fourth most expensive country in the world for food and non-alcoholic drinks, and the second most expensive for alcoholic drinks. With this in mind, iReach Insights conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,001 Irish adults on opinions on the price of food and drink in Ireland.

Overall, 9 in 10 adults (88%) believe Ireland is an expensive place to buy food and drink. The top three food/drink categories consumers say are the most expensive are: 1. Alcohol (75%), 2. Meat (62%), and Fruits/Vegetables (36%). The most frequently purchased categories are: 1. Fruits/Vegetables (69%), 2. Meat (54%), and 3. Breads/Cereals (53%). Males are twice as likely (23%) to frequently purchase alcohol than females (11%). 4 in 5 females (78%) frequently purchase fruits/vegetables, but only 3 in 5 males (60%) do.

The average amount spent each month per person was €182. The average spend for 18-34 year olds was €165, while for adults 34-54 it is €188 and the average spend for over 55 years is €192. The regions in Ireland’s average spends were: Dublin: €174, Rest of Leinster €162, Munster €209 and €167 in Connacht/Ulster.

The top three things people would spend money on if food/drink wasn’t so expensive were: 1. Savings (61%), 2. Holidays (56%), and 3. Home Improvement (42%). The top three methods for keeping grocery costs down were: 1. Shop at cheaper stores (60%), 2. Look for coupons/savings (49%), and 3. Buy in bulk (47%).

9 in 10 Irish adults (91%) wish food and drink was less expensive in Ireland, with 3 in 5 (65%) saying Ireland should put laws in place to lower food and drink costs.

About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 4th-11th July and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

Questions asked of participants:

Do you think Ireland is an expensive place to buy food/ drink?

What do you think are the most expensive food/ drink categories?

Which do you buy most frequently?

What do you typically spend on groceries each month (per person)?

If food and drink wasn’t so expensive, what would you spend your money on instead?

How do you keep grocery costs down?

Do you wish food/ drink was less expensive in Ireland?

Do you think Ireland should put laws in place to lower food/ drink costs?

iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.

iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: PR@ireachhq.com