1.5 tons in 365 days

We all have to eat and drink – every day. Over the course of a year, over one and a half tonnes of food per person is collected. Maria Fanningerfounder of the association Land creates lifesays:

“Each and every one of us consumes more than one and a half tons of food every year. Which foods make up this amount has a decisive influence on our health. “It’s not what’s on our plates on holidays like Christmas or New Year that’s important, but rather what we consume throughout the rest of the year.”

We only eat a third of the recommended amount of vegetables

Although vegetables rank first in the total amount of food consumed, our actual consumption remains well below the recommendations. Three servings of vegetables a day are ideal. According to the current Austrian nutrition report, on average we only manage one – regardless of gender. While we eat too little of some foods, such as fruit, we eat too much of others, especially meat. Men in particular often exceed the recommended upper limit in Austria.

However, our drinking behavior when it comes to non-alcoholic drinks is exemplary: women drink over two liters per day instead of the recommended minimum amount of one and a half liters, and men even drink up to three.

In numbers: This is how Austria eats and drinks

When we talk about one and a half tons of food, this number represents an average value. This also includes the part that ends up in kitchen waste. And so this amount is divided into the different food groups – deviations are possible depending on the person: Non-alcoholic drinks are at the top of our beverage consumption at 913 liters per year. These include water, mineral water, fruit and vegetable juices, tea, coffee and other drinks containing caffeine. For beer, average consumption is over 105 liters per year, while wine is 27 liters per capita.

When it comes to eating, vegetables lead the statistics with around 120 kilograms per year, closely followed by around 115 kilograms of milk and milk products. Side dishes such as rice and grains account for 96 kilograms annually, and potatoes account for almost 50 kilograms. On average, fruit provides us with around 79 kilograms per capita, while meat and meat products are just under 58 kilograms. Vegetable oils and oilseeds reach 21 kilograms per person, sugar and honey 30 kilograms. At the lower end of the consumption scale are eggs with 15 kilograms, fish with 8 kilograms and legumes with just over 1 kilogram per capita.