Portuguese workers spend 373€/month on food and receive a 127€ meal allowance

16 de May, 2023

The study “Consumption habits, expenditure and food allowance”, carried out for Edenred Portugal by Netsonda, sought to understand the habits of Portuguese workers in relation to their expenditure on food and the use of the meal allowance.

Discover the main conclusions of this study.

Portuguese spend an average of 373€ per month on food

The average monthly amount spent on meals and foodstuffs by the Portuguese workers surveyed exceeds €370 per month.

At the same time, the average monthly meal allowance received by the Portuguese who receive this social benefit – nine out of ten workers – is 127€. That’s an average of €5.90 a day, which covers only a third of their needs.

Six out of ten Portuguese have reduced their spending on food

More than half of the Portuguese workers surveyed admitted to having reduced their spending on food to cope with inflation. This phenomenon cuts across all segments of the population.

Food is the category in which the Portuguese have cut their spending the most, followed by tourism, leisure/sports, fuel and technology.

Of those who have reduced their spending on food, 82% say that this is reflected in fewer trips to restaurants, 62% in the purchase of smaller quantities of products at the supermarket, 62% in greater planning of meals, 25% in a reduction in the quantities and portions of food in restaurants and 11% in a lower nutritional quality of meals.

Meal card has advantages for respondents and satisfaction is high

Of the Portuguese workers who receive a meal allowance, 45% receive it in the form of a card or voucher, while 55% receive it in cash.

For those who receive their meal allowance in the form of a card or voucher, this format has a clear associated advantage: it makes it easier to identify where the amount is spent, thus promoting more optimized budget management. 98% of workers with a meal card know where their allowance is spent.

In addition, the majority of workers who already receive their meal allowance in card say they are satisfied with this format.

This study also draws some relevant conclusions regarding the importance attributed to lunch:

• Employees consider the lunch break to be relevant, both from a sociocultural and well-being perspective.
• 82% of those surveyed believe that the lunch period is important for relaxing, regenerating and obtaining the energy to continue working.

Finally, 40% of workers admit that they don’t always eat a full lunch and consequently experience effects such as fatigue, irritability, headaches or lack of concentration.

This highlights the importance of having a nutritious and decent meal during the working day, which companies try to ensure by providing a meal allowance.