The consumption chapter is extremely important for each family and concerns ensuring at least the minimum decent living. For most, the tightening of the material-financial area does not leave room for too many alternatives, which is why we propose an assessment of the food component of the minimum decent living basket and the minimum survival basket of the Romanian population and the identification of vulnerable population groups that suffer food deprivation.

Keywords: consumption, food, budget, family with children

To identify consumption, the following sources of information were used: statistical data from Romanian institutions on consumption issues (EUROSTAT, National Institute of Statistics); content analysis of messages from the mass media: newspapers, radio shows, television programs and weekly magazines.

For most people, the restrictions in the material-financial area do not leave room for too many alternatives. Many young families find themselves unable to access a personal home, being forced to live with their parents, in a space initially intended for a limited number of people, which then has to be shared with children and grandchildren together. This situation is spreading to more and more young or very young couples, who, not having sufficient salary income from the point of view of a bank loan to buy a home, are forced to accept this situation. There are also situations in which families with children live separately from their parents and, because they cannot commit to the monthly payment of a bank loan, as their total income does not allow them to purchase a home, they pay the equivalent of rent.

Evaluation of the food component of the minimum decent living basket and the minimum survival basket of the romanian population, in the period 2018-2022

National institute of statistics (NIS) data

In 2021, there were no major changes in the population's consumption pattern compared to the previous year.¹ Thus, the average annual consumption of plant products continues to represent the basic component of the average annual food consumption.

An increase in the average annual consumption of some plant-based products with a large share in the diet of the Romanian population is noted for:

1. Cereals and cereal products (in grain cereal equivalent)
2. Potatoes
3. Vegetables and vegetable products (in fresh vegetable equivalent)
4. Melons
5. Leguminous grains
6. Fruits and fruit products (in fresh fruit equivalent)

A decrease was recorded for:

1. Sugar and sugar products (in refined sugar equivalent).
2. Vegetable fats (gross weight).

Regarding the consumption of animal products, both increases and decreases are noted in the basic components:

1. Increase in the average annual consumption of meat, meat products and edible organs, due to the increase in the average annual consumption of meat and pork products.
2. Increase in the average annual consumption of milk and milk products.
3. An increase in the average annual consumption of eggs.
4. A trend of increasing the average annual consumption of fish and fish products.
5. A slight decrease in the average annual consumption of animal fats (gross weight).

Structural changes in 2021, compared to the previous year, are characterized by an increase in the share of the average net daily consumption of products of plant origin to the detriment of the average net daily consumption of products of animal origin.

In 2021, the average daily net consumption per capita was constituted in the proportion of:

1. 8% of products of plant origin.
2. 2% of products of animal origin.

The largest shares in the average daily net consumption per capita were:

1. Milk and milk products (30.8%)
2. Vegetables and vegetable products (17.5%)
3. Cereals and cereal products (15.5%)
4. Fruit and fruit products (10.8%)
5. Potatoes (9.6%)
6. Meat and meat products (7.3%)

These six product groups represented over 90% of the average daily net consumption per capita.

In 2021, a person consumed, on average, 2345 grams of food per day, 52 grams more than the previous year, of which: 1403 grams (+41 grams compared to the previous year) food of plant origin and 942 grams of food of animal origin (+11 grams compared to the previous year).

The quality of the average net daily consumption is highlighted by the content in calories and nutritional factors (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates). To perform vital functions, the body needs energy (calories) and nutritional factors (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates). The production of energy necessary for the human body is achieved, in particular, through the consumption of carbohydrates and lipids, proteins having a special role in growth.

According to some studies on nutrition, the proportion of nutrients in a balanced caloric ration (for a healthy adult) should be:

1. 10 - 15% (13% on average) proteins
2. 25 - 30% (28% on average) lipids
3. 55 - 65% (60% on average) carbohydrates

Given these limits, the average daily calorie consumption per capita in 2021 can be considered balanced and was:

1. Above average for proteins; the proportion of calories from proteins in the average daily calorie consumption was 13.6%.
2. Above average for lipids, exceeding the upper limit; the proportion of calories from lipids in the average daily calorie consumption was 31.4%.
3. -Below average for carbohydrates; the proportion of calories from carbohydrates in the average daily calorie consumption was 55.0%.

European reference budget network project

The Healthy Food Basket for Romania was created within the European Reference Budget Network project (2014-2015) and was developed using a standard normative methodology that was used by all 26 participating countries. This methodology was created by Goedeme, Storms and van den Bosch (2015).² In addition, the methodology adopted a relative approach that took into account the unique characteristics of each nation. They took into account national specificities and took into account recommendations from relevant institutions.

Romania’s unique continental climate, which is characterized by harsh winters and pleasant summers, contributes to a large seasonal change in food needs. However, cultural influences also influence eating habits throughout the year. Winter meals usually include significant portions of meat and animal fats, especially around the holidays. The long Orthodox Easter fast, which prohibits the consumption of meat, eggs, milk and dairy products, partly compensates for the high consumption of animal fats during the winter. However, only a small percentage of people today adhere to the strict constraints of fasting, and within the framework of religious or family customs, it is still common for the extended family to eat fatty and high-calorie meals together. The availability of a wide variety of processed foods and imported products has increased consumption without significantly changing gastronomic preferences (National Institute of Statistics, 2015), but has also led to the abandonment of home-cooked meals in favor of products found on the market.

The methodology used 2013 data from the NIS for the consumption patterns of the population. The National Commission for Food and Nutrition was appointed by the Ministry of Health in 2008 and developed a National Strategy for Food and Nutrition and a National Action Plan on Food and Nutrition, using data from the National Institutes of Statistics, Economic Studies and the Research Institute for Quality of Life.

By preventing and reducing the occurrence of diseases caused by inadequate nutrition, they aimed to improve the health of the Romanian population, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups. The Commission created a set of nutritional recommendations that formed the basis of new laws targeting children and adolescents in the educational environment in the same year.

Within the food consumption basket, a weekly meal was created that should be inexpensive for the general public and also socially and culturally acceptable, based on suggestions from the Ministry of Health, the Romanian Society for Nutrition and an independent nutrition expert.

In order to quantify the importance of national culture and national specifics, three focus groups were launched in Bucharest. The participants came from the middle and working class. Their selection was made with the aim of including people with a variety of incomes and educational levels. The focus group theme was the difference between eating healthy and eating traditionally Romanian. The results of this qualitative research are as follows:

1. An exclusively healthy diet poses significant difficulties in terms of costs.
2. Traditional food is not considered healthy given the high intake of animal fats.
3. The nutritional variety of traditional food is limited, for example, not enough bakery products are included.
4. The caloric intake from a healthy diet is considered insufficient for an adult who performs physical work.
5. Access to healthy food is not constant, outside the locality of origin or cities with a certain degree of development, difficulties arise in purchasing healthy food.
6. Respondents were open to trying cuisines other than Romanian and compared the tendencies to appreciate a certain national gastronomy with fashion.

“The nationally representative survey conducted by RIES in 2013 reveals that only 1% of the population used to eat out every day, 4% several times a week, 6% only on weekends, 10% several times a week, 10% several times a week, 6% only on weekends, 10% several times a week/times a month, 23% very rarely, 23% only on special occasions and 32% never”.³

The estimates from the study suggest a monthly amount of 286 euros per month for the basket of healthy food, kitchen items and sports activities in the case of a couple, reaching up to 302 euros. In the case of a family of two adults and two children, this reference budget costs 549 euros per month, but it would cost 579 euros if the socio-cultural functions of food were added (table 1, table 2).

A healthy lifestyle is inaccessible to disadvantaged social categories. People receiving social assistance, those without employment, or those earning the minimum wage, do not have the capacity to spend an estimated 2037 lei per family per month on food alone. Also, a typical family, whose income in 2015 reached 3968 lei per month, would have had significant difficulties in consistently having a healthy diet.

Food consumption by number of family members, social status and area of ​​residence

Obviously, one of the staple foods of Romanians continues to be bread and similar products (loaf and derivatives), with the average monthly consumption in 2021 being 7.38 kg/person, down slightly from the 7.60 kg/person consumed in the previous year, which represents an annual consumption of 88.57 kg/person.⁴

The average monthly consumption of fresh meat per person was 3.88 kg/person in 2021. Together with meat preparations, this amounts to 5.37 kg/person per month, up 0.31 kg/person per month from the previous year, which represents an average annual consumption of 64.38 kg/person.

According to data provided by the National Institute of Statistics, there are significant differences between meat consumption in households, depending on the number of people. Thus, households consisting of one person have the highest meat consumption (7.69 kg/person per month of fresh meat and meat products). It is worth noting that, compared to developed countries, the consumption of meat and meat products was relatively low in Romania.

Monthly milk consumption was 5.45 liters/person, slightly increasing compared to the 5.33 liters/person consumed in 2020. There are also notable differences between households regarding this food. The most milk was consumed in households of retirees (5.95 liters/person), and the least in those of the unemployed (4.03 liters/person). It is worth noting that there is a slight discrepancy regarding milk consumption depending on the area of ​​residence: 5.445 liters/person in households in villages, respectively 5.448 liters/person in those in cities. The highest milk consumption, of 7.50 liters/person, was recorded in single-person households, predominantly made up of elderly people.

Across households, the average monthly potato consumption per person was 3.02 kg. Pensioners consumed the most potatoes (3.26 kg/person), with the lowest consumption recorded in households of employees (under 3 kg/person).

The average monthly consumption of vegetables and canned vegetables was 8.46/person in 2021, an increase of 0.46 kg/person compared to the previous year. The highest consumption was recorded in households consisting of one person (12.89 kg/person) and in households without children (9.97 kg/person), and the lowest in households with four or more children (5.66 kg/person).

The average monthly fruit consumption reached only 4.29 kg/person last year, although it was still an increase compared to the 4.06 kg/person consumed in 2020. Considerable differences in fruit consumption exist between households consisting of one person, with a monthly consumption of 6.40 kg of fruit/person, and those consisting of six people (2.84 kg of fruit/person).

Top of annual food consumption

1. Vegetables and canned vegetables – 101.52 kg/person
2. Bread and similar products – 88.57 kg/person
3. Milk – 65.5 liters /person
4. Meat and meat preparations – 64.38 kg/person
5. Fruit – 51.48 kg/person
6. Potatoes – 36.24 kg/person

International comparisons

One in three EU citizens (33%) reported in 2019 that they did not consume fruit and vegetables daily and only 12% of the population consumed the recommended five or more portions per day, with Romania being the least fruit and vegetable lovers, according to data published on Tuesday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) and cited by Agerpres.⁵

On average, over half of the EU population (55%) reported that in 2019 they consumed between one and four portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Among EU Member States, the highest consumption of five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day was reported in Ireland (33% of the population), the Netherlands (30%), Denmark (23%) and France (20%). At the opposite end, in Romania only 2% of the population eats at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, followed by Bulgaria and Slovenia (both with 5%) and Austria (6%).

The incomes of various families with children or the elderly have not been able to keep up with the price increases for products and services on the market. This has led to a deterioration in the quality of life of these families in urban and rural areas over time.

From studies conducted by the Research Institute for Quality of Life on the way the population lives, the most delicate position is held by families with dependent children and especially those with more than two children, and in the case of single-parent families and those with two children, but also families of the elderly who live on a state social insurance pension or two minimum social pensions. To the general family income, children contribute a small amount, the child allowance. We understand why, these families are finding it increasingly difficult to cope, especially if a second or third, etc. child is added. If poor families with children had higher incomes, they would use them mainly to buy strictly necessary food and food desired by children both in urban and rural areas. The system of increasing child allowances at certain intervals of time, respectively their non-correlation with the monthly price index, leads, in various time intervals, to a decrease in the contribution to family incomes and to a depreciation of purchasing power.

The situation is critical when we analyze a couple with a minimum wage and two child allowances from an urban area. This income covered the subsistence minimum only in 1989 and 1990, after which the real purchasing power of the income of this type of family no longer covered the necessary living expenses. The family of two adults with two dependent children from the urban area with an income consisting of two minimum wages and two child allowances, over the analyzed period 1989-2018 is still in an extremely difficult economic situation. In recent years, the income of this family has fallen even below the subsistence minimum starting with 1992 (68.7%), continuing to drop dramatically in 2002 (38.9%), and as for the decent minimum, it has been in difficulty to be covered with this income since 1990 (81.6%), reaching 20%, one fifth, in 2000, continuing to remain at extremely low values ​​until the end. In the terminal years 2020-2021 the described income approached the decent minimum of life of the reference year, 1989.

None.

The author declares there is no conflict of interest.

1. National Institute of Statistics. Consumption availability of the population in 2021. Bucharest; 2023.
2. Goedemé T, Storms B, Penne T, et al. The development of a methodology for comparable reference budgets in Europe - Final report of the pilot project. December 2015.
3. Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy (RIES). Opinion Poll: Perceptions and Attitudes of the Romanian Population Towards the Phenomenon of Discrimination in 2013.
4. Care sunt alimentele cel mai des consumate de români. Ziarul Faclia. 2023. Accessed June 12, 2023.
5. România, pe ultimul loc în UE la consumul de fructe și legume. Doar 2% din populație mănâncă zilnic cel puțin cinci porții. BizBrasov. 2023. Accessed June 12, 2023.