Sale of vegetables, fruit, and frozen fish soars during coronavirus lockdown

The sale of vegetables such as zucchini or potatoes in supermarkets has grown 54% during the coronavirus lockdown, while the demand for frozen fish has skyrocketed by 151%. 

That is according to an internal study carried out by the Catalan supermarket chain Bonpreu, which looked at the food and cleaning products most in-demand during the crisis.

Meanwhile, the study found that sales of fruit have gone up by 33%, while meat sales have increased by 50%, with the most demand for lamb and steak. 

As for packaged food, the chain noted a change in trend from the purchase of basics such as preserves, pasta or rice, to pleasure products, such as beer or chocolate.

The company insists that despite the rise in demand, the price of products has remained the same as before the crisis started, with some, such as soup and milk, even falling.

The study also found a rise in sales in cleaning and personal hygiene items such as soap, bleach, and toilet paper, with the prices of these products also remaining stable.

The group says its priority has been to ensure the supply of products and it claims that its supermarkets currently have over 500 discounted products.

To carry out the study, Bonpreu analyzed data from 187 Bonpreu and Esclat stores across Catalonia and an average of 1.2 million weekly purchases.

Online supermarket sales up across Spain

Meanwhile, a different study concludes that ‘online’ supermarket sales across Spain have also gone up during the coronavirus confinement, with records set in recent weeks. 

Between April 13 and 19, internet sales soared 286%, according to data analyzed by the US company Nielsen, which also found that online purchases as a proportion of all household shopping have more than doubled from 1% to 2.1%.

The study also found that sales of cleaning products such as bleach or disinfectants have grown by 93% and 51%, respectively.

Sales of cooking additives, such as flours or spices, have gone up by 68%, while sauces have risen by 38%, nuts by 54%, beer by 41%, wine by 33%, and snacks by 27%.

At the beginning of the month, Spain's agriculture minister Luis Planas revealed that sales of flour quadrupled during the third week of the home quarantine, with the minister attributing the rise to people "making bread and pastries" as a "regular activity."