A sector study, to which Maspalomas24H has had access, has revealed dairy consumption patterns among tourists visiting Maspalomas and indicates that Irish, Swedish, Norwegian and German tourists have a weekly per capita consumption of milk significantly higher than the average of the Canary Islands population. The information available on the food consumption of tourists in the Canary Islands, although limited, allows us to identify certain consumption patterns that could have implications for regional food policy and for companies in the agri-food sector. However, it is necessary to further analyse these data and complement the existing information with new studies to obtain a more complete and precise view of the situation. According to data held by the European Commission and accessed by Maspalomas24H, the weekly per capita milk consumption of tourists visiting Maspalomas is highest among Irish tourists: 4,58 litres per week, while tourists from Sweden consume 4,05 litres per week and those from Germany consume 4,03 litres per week. Tourists from Norway consume similar amounts to tourists from Sweden, around 4 litres per week.
Milk consumption in the Canary Islands, as in other regions of Spain, is part of the overall analysis of dairy consumption in the country. In Spain, per capita consumption of liquid milk has shown a downward trend in recent years, standing at around 65-70 litres per person per year in recent data. Per capita milk consumption in the Canary Islands is approximately 15 litres per year, which is equivalent to less than 0,3 litres per week. This figure is below the national average in Spain, which is around 65-70 litres per person per year, equivalent to 1,15 litres per week. The differences are attributed to cultural, logistical factors and specific food preferences of the islands compared to the rest of the country. The per capita weekly bread consumption of tourists from Sweden is 400 grams per week. In Germany, consumption is slightly higher, 1,4 kilos per week of stay. Irish tourists consume 800 grams of bread per week and Norwegians 880 grams per week. These figures reflect a diversity in eating habits between the countries, with Germany and Norway showing slightly higher consumption compared to the others.
The absence of official data on the consumption of subsidised food products in the Canary Islands, in contrast to the availability of information on beer consumption by tourists, reveals a gap in the monitoring of food flows in the archipelago. This lack makes it difficult to develop public food policies that are tailored to local reality and to Community regulations on food safety and intra-Community trade. Within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 on the common organisation of markets in agricultural products, the European Union establishes a series of rules and measures to guarantee food safety, product quality and fair competition in the internal market. In this context, data on the consumption of dairy products by tourists in the Canary Islands could be relevant to assess the impact of Community agricultural policies in the region and to identify possible imbalances in supply and demand. On the other hand, the analysis of bread consumption among tourists reveals a diversity of eating habits, with significant variations between different countries.
