Last year, Belgian households spent one euro in five on food, according to a study by national statistics agency StatBel. On average, Belgians spent 5,600 euros per year on food, drinks and tobacco, this corresponds to a growth of 12%.
On category level, more was spent on vegetables (+26%), coffee (+23%), fish and shellfish (+15%), meat (+12%), fruit (+10%) and bread (+6%). It comes to no surprise that the extra expenses were compensated by less expenditure in the catering industry, which saw a decrease of fifty percent. Takeaway meals and home deliveries gained in importance last year.