32% of Spanish workers are willing to “reduce” their spending on food “if necessary” due to inflation, a figure that rises to 87% in relation to spending on restaurants, considering that almost 40% invest in between 20% and 30% of their monthly food budget.
This is revealed in 14th edition of the FOOD Barometer about healthy eating habits published annually through the global social benefits, incentives and flexible remuneration platform Edenred, where more than 47,000 workers, 6,000 Spaniards, participatedy 1,600 restaurants from 19 countries, 140 of them in Spainand accordingly 96% of Spanish employees believe that food will continue to become more expensive in the coming months, will “affect” its economy and the “healthy” quality of its food, as the company explained this Monday in a statement.
In this inflationary context, 75% of workers highlighted “increased purchasing power” as the “main advantage” of having a Ticket Restaurant, given the “benefits of dealing with inflation”, although 44% of the restaurants surveyed reported a “low” number of customers.
However, in Spain, 59% of the employees surveyed said that they go to the restaurant “in addition” “thanks” to the meal cards and up to 56% of the restaurants admit that receiving Restaurant Tickets represents to “increase” their turnover rate. .. In addition, 58% acknowledged that customers who have this service come to eat “more often” than those who do not have it.
This year’s barometer also confirms that The active population “continues to pay attention” to the importance of maintaining a “healthy and balanced” diet and “especially” in southern Europe, including Portugal, Italy and Spain (78% of respondents).
In this sense, 74% of the restaurants consulted in Spain say they have “changed” their habits and their suppliers “in favor of healthier and local products”, 81% point out that consumers “appreciate” these changes and the “commitment” to a “healthier” cuisine and 60% believe that the offer of healthy food is “one of the main reasons for diners” to visit your establishment.
In the case of Spain, consumers justified their interest in healthy foods for health reasons (99%) or for taste or variety (72%) and up to 53% will choose for a “healthier” diet for “animalistic and environmentalist” reasons.
On the other hand, consumers associate a healthy diet with fresh products (97%), many vegetables (94%) and only 21% associate it with “small or small” portions.
According to the study, the cost of these healthy options “continues to be one of their burdens, at least from the point of view of restaurants,” to the point that In Spain, 54% think that preparing these healthier menu options is “more expensive.”
Similarly, e96% of those surveyed said they were “aware and concerned” about food wastes, a figure that in Spain rises to 84%, while eight out of ten restaurants claim to have implemented measures to “reduce” their food waste.
In light of these results, the CEO of Edenred Spain, Stanislas de Bourgues, stated that, as in last year’s edition, inflation “continues to be one of the main factors to consider and shapes the behavior of consumers and hotelier.” “In this context, the usefulness and good evaluation given by users of services like Ticket Restaurant is shown again, which is once again an excellent tool to alleviate the effects of the increase on prices and maintain purchasing power,” he said.
