Northern Ireland Take Home Food and Drink Purchases 2016, 2019 and 2020 (2021, Food Standards Agency)

This Kantar report commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) explores Northern Ireland take home food and drink purchases in 2016, 2019 and 2020. The monitoring of take home food and drink purchases forms one part of the FSA’s dietary health surveillance. In 2019 and 2020, Total Alcohol had the highest share of total spend on take home food and drink purchases at 15.2% and 17.5% respectively. All family types and upper middle, middle, and lower middle social class households were purchasing more alcohol in 2019 compared to 2016. For all family types, social class and urban and rural households, there was an increase in percentage share of total volume for Total Alcohol in 2020 compared to 2019. Beer and lager had a 40.0% increase in volume purchased in 2020 compared to 2019. Flavoured alcoholic beverages had a 29.4% increase, wine had a 23.8% increase, and spirits had a 19.2% increase. It is important to note that data in 2019 and 2020 are not directly comparable due to Covid-19 restrictions, as the majority of the out of home sector was closed and therefore an increase in take home purchasing is expected to replace the food and drink that would have been purchased outside of the home.

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