site.btaNational Statistics Reports on Bulgarians’ Eating Habits in 2024

On the occasion of the World Food Day, the National Statistical Institute presented on Thursday aggregated data on Bulgarians’ eating habits in 2024. On average, one person in Bulgaria consumes 166 eggs, 10 litres of cooking oil, 12 kilogrammes of cheese, 20 litres of fresh milk, and 28 kilogrammes of yoghurt per year. The annual diet of the average Bulgarian also includes 76 kilogrammes of vegetables and 60 kilogrammes of fruit. Bread and pastry consumption stands at 69 kilogrammes, while meat and meat products amount to 58 kilogrammes per person annually.

World Food Day was first observed in 1981 at the initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Each year the celebration is held under a specific theme. “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind” is the 2025’s theme. More than 150 countries take part in the event, with Bulgaria joining in 2006.

The EU estimates that the Union generates about 130 kilogrammes of food waste per person every year, equivalent to 60 million tonnes. In 2023, the average Bulgarian discarded 93 kilogrammes of food, according to Eurostat data cited by Bulgarian Food Bank Executive Director Tsanka Milanova. This corresponds to 614,000 tonnes of food wasted nationwide each year. Food waste accounts for one-tenth (9.9%) of the total waste stream, according to the “Analysis of the Situation Regarding Waste” under the National Waste Management Plan 2021-2028, published on the Environment Ministry’s website.