Bread consumption drops in Romania but is still above the European average

The yearly bread consumption in Romania has decreased over the past decade from 92 kg per capita to little over 82 kg. However, it is still above the European average, which stands at 78 kg per capita per year, according to the latest market study on bakery products, presented last week by Aurel Popescu, president of the Romanian Employers in the Milling and Bakery Industry – ROMPAN, local Agerpres reported. Popescu believes that this downward trend in bread consumption in recent years is "viable and fair", even though Romania has lost the top spot in Europe in this ranking. The market study presented by the ROMPAN president also revealed that biscuits and pasta have registered an increase of 12.5% in consumption in 2017 compared to 2016, while the traditional sweet bread cozonac also registered a year-on-year increase of 9.3%, without taking into account street trade. On the other hand, flour consumption fell by 2.3%, maize consumption dropped by 6.5%, and bread consumption declined by 2.2%. The annual bread production in Romania is of 1.5 million tons, according to the same source. Also, the milling and bakery market rose to EUR 3 billion, ranking first in the local food industry. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com