Families in lockdown increased grocery spending by €172 in January

Families spent an additional €4.5m on cereals, €3.9m extra on yoghurt, and €7.8m more on cheese. Picture: iStock

Irish shoppers spent an extra €143m on groceries last month compared to January 2020 as the continued closure of restaurants and bars meant householders continued to rely on supermarkets to keep fed.

Busy households juggling work and homeschooling spent an average of €172 more on groceries than a year earlier. Latest figures from Kantar show that take-home grocery sales in Ireland grew by 16.4% in the 12 weeks to January 24. Growth edged up over the past month to 16.8% as the new year brought a full month of restrictions on eating and drinking.