Dining at Home Statistics Ireland 2026: 80.9% of Food Spending Was for Food at Home

By M&I Interiors | Sources reviewed 2 November 2026 | Approximately 11-minute read | Human written and fact checked against each named source.

Eating at home is part of the daily rhythm of most households, but the available Irish figures show that it is not one simple habit. Household size and income affect food spending, devices often compete for attention at dinner, and families report wanting more time around the table.

This is a 2026 statistical roundup, not a claim that every figure measures 2026. It combines Central Statistics Office spending data collected from October 2022 to October 2023, a national adult survey conducted in August 2024, an adult and child study from July 2026, and official food-waste estimates for 2024. Those periods and populations remain explicit throughout the article.

Dining at home statistics Ireland 2026: key figures

• Households spent an average of €160.93 per week on food in the 2022–2023 Household Budget Survey, according to the CSO expenditure table.
• €130.25 per week was spent on food consumed at home, including an average of €11.00 on takeaway food brought or delivered home, in the same CSO household data.
• An M&I Interiors calculation from those CSO values shows that 80.9% of household food spending was for food consumed at home.
• Households with children spent €168.49 per week on food at home, based on the CSO composition table.
• 60% of adults surveyed in August 2024 said they sometimes let family members use a device at the dining table or during meals, according to the Empathy Research survey commissioned by SuperValu.
• 80% of the same adult sample regarded dinnertime as an important ritual that brings a family closer, while 80% wanted more shared meals, the mealtime survey found.
• In a separate July 2026 study, 81% of 500 child respondents aged 5–15 said sharing food brings a family together, according to the Barnardos and Heinz study.
• Irish households generated an estimated 219,000 tonnes of food waste in 2024, equal to 31% of the national total, in the EPA waste statistics.
• Household food waste was estimated at 41 kg per person in Ireland, compared with 69 kg per person across the EU in 2024, based on the EPA Irish figure and Eurostat EU estimate.

Dining at Home Statistics Ireland 2026 Infographic

Free to embed. Please credit M&I Interiors with a link to this page: https://mandiinteriors.ie/dining-at-home-statistics-ireland/

How much do Irish households spend on food at home?

The CSO’s Household Budget Survey provides the most robust national picture of household food spending. Data collected from October 2022 to October 2023 shows average total food expenditure of €160.93 per household each week. Food consumed at home accounted for €130.25, while meals away from home, including takeaway tea and coffee, accounted for €30.68, according to the HBS01 spending table.

Dividing the at-home figure by total food expenditure shows that 80.9% of weekly household food spending was for food consumed at home. This is an M&I Interiors calculation using the compatible CSO values of €130.25 and €160.93, rounded to one decimal place. It describes the share of expenditure rather than the share of meals eaten at home.

The at-home category includes €11.00 per week spent on takeaway food brought or delivered home. That value is already contained within the €130.25 total and should not be added to it again. It represented spending location rather than a judgement about whether the food was cooked in the household.

Food represented 16.0% of total household expenditure in 2022–2023, compared with 14.7% in 2015–2016. Average weekly food spending increased by 30.5%, from €123.28 to €160.93, in the CSO survey comparison. These are nominal expenditure figures. The increase should not be described as a 30.5% rise in food quantity, and the CSO also notes a change in its household definition for the latest survey.

How food spending varies between households

Household totals naturally rise as more people share a home. One-person households spent €57.23 per week on food consumed at home, compared with €188.76 for households of four or more people, according to the CSO household-size table. These are totals per household, not amounts per person.

Households with children spent an average of €168.49 per week on food at home. Their takeaway spending averaged €16.23, compared with €3.36 for one-adult households, in the household-composition data. The CSO calculated that takeaway food represented 9.7% of at-home food spending in households with children and 5.9% in one-adult households. That is a share of spending, not the percentage of meals ordered as takeaway.

Income also changes the absolute amount recorded. At-home food spending averaged €67.71 per week among households in the lowest disposable-income quintile and €181.87 in the highest. Meals away from home averaged €11.20 and €54.93 respectively, according to the CSO income table. These differences do not measure affordability, diet quality or the number of people in each household.

There was a smaller geographic difference in the at-home total. Rural households spent €135.67 per week on food at home, compared with €127.16 for urban households in the CSO area breakdown. The survey describes the difference but does not establish what caused it.

Devices, television and the dining table

A national survey of 1,000 adults aged 18 and over, conducted by Empathy Research in early August 2024, offers a snapshot of technology during meals. In that sample, 60% said they sometimes let family members use a device at the dining table or during meals, and 30% allowed laptops at the table, according to the published Table or Tablet findings.

The same survey found that more than two thirds of respondents ate dinner on the couch in front of the television each week. Nearly one quarter, 23%, said they did so five times a week. The source reports “more than two thirds”, so that result should not be converted into a more precise percentage.

Disruption did not mean the same thing for every respondent. Overall, 55% experienced disruption at dinnertime, while 23% identified difficulty getting everyone together as a challenge. The publicly available summary does not provide the full questionnaire, response options or cross-tabulations, so the results are best treated as attributed survey estimates rather than national administrative measures.

Shared meals and family conversation

The device findings sit beside a strong stated preference for eating together. In the 2024 adult survey, 80% regarded dinnertime as an important ritual that brings the family closer and 80% wanted more shared meals. Among the subgroup of households with children aged over five, 92% wanted to have dinner together more often, while one in five were doing so only twice a week, according to the published survey release. The size of that household subgroup was not disclosed.

A separate Opinion Matters study from July 2026 surveyed 1,000 adults and 500 children aged 5–15 in Ireland. Half of the adult respondents said that sharing a meal brings a family together. Among the child sample, 81% said sharing food brings a family together and 84% said eating together helps families make time for one another, even when they are busy, according to the Barnardos study announcement.

Conversation was also prominent in the child responses. Some 76% said that some of the best family conversations happen at mealtimes, and 72% felt it was easier to open up and talk while eating together. These are children’s reported views. The study does not prove that eating together caused a particular communication outcome.

Cooking from scratch and the pressure of time

The 2024 adult survey also recorded a gap between intention and routine. Almost half of respondents, 49%, wanted to cook from scratch more but cited time or energy. The figure rose to 59% among adults aged 18–35, although the published release does not give the size of that subgroup or a confidence interval.

Preparing dinner was viewed as a chore by 31% of respondents in the same national adult survey. This is an attitude measure. It does not show how often people cooked, which foods they prepared or whether their meals were nutritionally balanced.

Taken together, the findings suggest that dining at home includes competing priorities: a desire for shared meals, limited time or energy, and the presence of screens. They do not support a claim that one household routine is universal across Ireland.

Food waste in Irish homes

Ireland generated an estimated 708,000 tonnes of food waste in 2024, equal to 132 kg per person, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The national estimate was 2% lower than in 2023. It covers edible and inedible material across the food system, so it should not be described as avoidable food alone.

Households generated 219,000 tonnes, or 31% of the national total. The household estimate was 119 kg per household and 41 kg per person. It covers food waste in collected household waste, civic amenity sites and home composting.

The EPA estimates that food waste costs the average Irish household about €60 per month or €700 per year, with an annual national cost of €1.29 billion. These are approximate average values. They do not mean that every household discards the same amount or bears the same cost.

Food waste outside the home remains substantial. Manufacturing generated an estimated 169,000 tonnes, restaurants and food services 181,000 tonnes, retail and distribution 85,000 tonnes, and primary production 54,000 tonnes. The restaurant and food-service estimate rose by about 6,000 tonnes, or 3%, from 2023, while the EPA notes that the manufacturing method has been revised.

Ireland compared with the EU

Eurostat provides a compatible 2024 comparison using kilograms per person and a common food-waste definition. Ireland’s total was estimated at 132 kg per person, compared with 129 kg per person across the EU, based on the EPA national estimate and Eurostat EU aggregate.

The household-only comparison points in the other direction. Ireland recorded an estimated 41 kg per person, while the EU aggregate was 69 kg per person in 2024. The year, unit and sector align, but national estimation methods can differ. Three countries lacked 2024 values and Eurostat used their closest previous-year data in the EU aggregate, so the comparison should not be turned into an Irish ranking or a claim that one population behaves better than another.

Methodology and sources

M&I Interiors compiled this article from primary material published by the Central Statistics Office, Environmental Protection Agency, Eurostat, SuperValu and Barnardos. The sources and direct links were reviewed on 2 November 2026. The article keeps the source publication year separate from the period measured.

The CSO Household Budget Survey collected data from October 2022 to October 2023 and achieved a sample of 1,737 private households. It used a stratified sample, adjusted for non-response and calibrated the survey weights to benchmark totals. Household members aged 16 and over kept a two-week spending diary. Survey expenditure may under-record some purchases, and the changed household definition limits simple historical comparisons.

The SuperValu survey was conducted by Empathy Research among a national panel of 1,000 adults aged 18 and over in early August 2024. The Barnardos and Heinz study was conducted by Opinion Matters in July 2026 among 1,000 adults and 500 children aged 5–15 based in Ireland. Neither public release provides weighting, response rates, full questionnaires or confidence intervals, so their findings remain explicitly attributed survey estimates.

The EPA’s 2024 figures are national annual estimates reported under the EU Waste Framework Directive. Eurostat’s comparison uses the fifth annual reporting round under the common EU framework. Food waste includes edible and inedible parts, and country methods can still differ. The one derived figure in this article, 80.9%, is calculated as €130.25 divided by €160.93 and rounded to one decimal place.

Making space for everyday meals

Statistics cannot prescribe how a household should eat or arrange a room. They do show that dining spaces need to work for different household sizes, quick weekday meals, shared family time and the practical demands of modern devices.

A well-sized table, comfortable circulation space and seating suited to the people who use it can make everyday dining easier without assuming that every meal is formal. M&I Interiors offers dining tables in a range of shapes, sizes and finishes, and our dining table size guide explains how table dimensions relate to seating and room space.

Related Irish home statistics

For context on household composition and how families are changing, see our Irish family statistics. Our Irish furniture statistics examine spending, retail sales and the wider market for furnishing the home.