Greek households spend €770 a year on ready-made meals, study finds
Greek households spend an average of €770 a year on ready-made meals, nearly the equivalent of a monthly minimum wage, as busy work schedules and the expansion of food delivery services continue to reshape eating habits, according to a study by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA).
The survey found that households spend an average of €14.79 a week on prepared food, with the market expanding beyond traditional takeaway options to include supermarket offerings such as cooked meals, salads, sandwiches and pastries.
After a temporary return to home cooking during the coronavirus pandemic, consumers have largely resumed purchasing prepared meals as limited time for cooking and the popularity of delivery platforms such as efood, Wolt and BOX fuel demand.
Supermarkets gain market share
The proportion of consumers who do not buy ready-made food has fallen to 39%, from 45% in 2016, while purchases from supermarkets have nearly doubled to 29% from 16% over the same period.
Home delivery remains widely used, although the share of consumers ordering meals has declined to 28% from 37% in 2016. IELKA attributed the shift partly to rising restaurant prices and delivery platform fees, making supermarket prepared meals a more affordable option.
Lack of time remains the main reason for buying ready-made food, cited by 41% of respondents, while others pointed to dietary preferences or the cost of cooking for small households.
Despite growing demand, prepared meals are still seen primarily as a convenience. Eight in 10 consumers consider them less healthy than home-cooked food, and only 7% believe they taste better.
Source:Kathimerini
