How has eating and drinking behaviour in the Czech Republic developed over the past year? Recent figures from the Czech Statistical Office paint a clear picture: the appetite for meat and vegetables is growing, while sugar and alcohol are less in demand. This emerges from a current report by the Czech Statistical Office.
Food consumption in the Czech Republic changed noticeably in 2024. According to recent data, per capita consumption was 797 kilograms, 9 kilograms more than the previous year. Particularly striking: people reached more often for meat, dairy products, and vegetables, while continuing to reduce their consumption of flour, sugar, and alcohol.
Meat consumption rises
Meat consumption increased significantly. Per capita, 85.3 kilograms were consumed – up 3 kilograms. Pork (+1.5 kg to 43.3 kg) and poultry (+1.7 kg to 30.9 kg) rose notably, while beef saw only a minimal decline of 0.1 kilograms to 9.1 kilograms.
“While the share of pork consumption has remained stable at around 50 per cent since the 1950s, the share of beef has fallen to 11 per cent. At the same time, the share of poultry has risen to 36 per cent.”
Dairy products on the rise
Consumption of milk and dairy products also grew, totalling 260.9 kilograms per person – up 6 kilograms. Drinking milk fell slightly to 57.6 kilograms, while cheese consumption rose significantly by 1.3 kilograms to 14.6 kilograms. The consumption of other dairy products declined slightly.
Less fruit, more vegetables: Stronger demand for rice and pasta
Fruit consumption showed a cautious trend: on average, 84.4 kilograms of fruit were eaten – 0.9 kilograms less than the previous year. While the consumption of domestic varieties fell by 2.4 kilograms, the intake of exotic fruit rose by 1.5 kilograms, largely due to higher demand for bananas. Vegetable consumption rose markedly, climbing 4.5 kilograms to 91.6 kilograms per capita.
Potatoes (+2.1 kg), rice (+0.5 kg), and pasta (+0.3 kg) were also eaten more, while bread and wheat bakery products were slightly down. Sugar consumption decreased noticeably, with average intake falling by 3 kilograms to 30.8 kilograms per person.
Less alcohol, more mineral water
Drinking habits also changed. People in the Czech Republic consumed more mineral water and soft drinks in 2024 (+8.9 litres to 232.7 litres per person). At the same time, alcohol consumption fell: overall consumption of alcoholic beverages dropped by 4.3 litres to 156 litres. Beer (-2.7 litres), wine (-1.1 litres), and spirits (-0.6 litres) all recorded declines.
Further details can be found in the publication Spotřeba potravin za rok 2024 (CZ).
