Kantar reveals amount families spend on groceries and Christmas dinner

The cost of Christmas dinner is set to increase by an average of €3 to reach €33.21 for a family of four. 

The cost of a typical Christmas dinner is set to increase to €33.21 for a family of four, as grocery inflation hits a record high.

Annual shopping bills have gone up by more than €1,000 in the last 12 months, a report published by consumer data analytics company Kantar has found.

Christmas spending is also set to reach €1.25bn for the first time, as the cost-of-living- crisis cuts deep into families’ pockets.

The report said Irish families will spend a record-breaking average of €8,071 on groceries in 2022.

The cost of Christmas dinner is set to increase by an average of €3 to reach €33.21 for a family of four. 

The biggest price hikes affect Brussels sprouts (+65%), Christmas pudding (+59%), and parsnips (+51%). 

Potatoes, however, have decreased in price by 9% since the same time last year.

Caitriona Twomey, head of the charity Cork Penny Dinners, who has been serving hot meals to those in need, said people are “distraught coming to us because they know they’re not going to make it through Christmas”.

“People who have never before thought of coming to us are here in tears,” she said, adding that numbers have “grown big time”.

The horror that people are feeling is really hitting them hard, they’re petrified.

“Everything has gone up."

Emer Healy, senior retail analyst at Kantar, said: “Despite inflationary and other pressures, Irish shoppers are still stocking up on festive treats this year. 

“In the latest 12 weeks, they spent an additional €1.2m on gifting and chocolate boxes, €3.5m more on savory snacking, and €617,000 on mince pies. 

Caitriona Twomey and cook, Philippe Chabalier, working in the kitchen of Cork Penny Dinners. Picture: David Creedon

“However, it seems that not all festive favourites are proving popular, with shoppers spending €189,000 less on Brussels sprouts.” 

The report said ‘own label’ sales grew by 9.6% in the last 12 weeks, with shoppers spending an additional €118m year-on-year on the cheaper products. 

‘Premium own label’ sales increased by 5.1%, and brand sales saw a modest boost of 1.6%.

The number of shopping trips per household also hit a new high in the 12 weeks to November 27, averaging 59 trips during this period which is the highest recorded since June 2021. Kantar attributes this “largely due to the slow and steady return to pre-Covid behaviours.” 

According to Kantar, Friday, December 23 will be the busiest day for pre-Christmas grocery shopping.