Irish people spend €7.5 billion eating out every year, as the latest report from Bord Bia shows that more people than ever are grabbing food on the go.

The market for dining out has grown by €1.5bn in the past two years alone, as the overall annual amount is expected to pass the €9bn mark by 2020.

One-third of our consumer spending is in "quick service" restaurants, with the amount of people grabbing a bite in coffee shops showing the strongest growth. 

Foodservice or “out of home” describes all food consumed away from your abode, including everything from restaurants, bars and hotels to workplace catering, hospitals, education and vending machines.

According to Bord Bia, this market segment has benefited from better than anticipated economic growth, buoyant consumer confidence, a strong domestic and international tourist market, an unemployment rate that is now less than 8%, and the continuation of the special 9% VAT rate for the hospitality industry.

The report was launched today at Bord Bia's annual foodservice industry seminar in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

Speaking at the seminar, foodservice specialist Maureen Gahan said:

"It has been a bumper year for foodservice in Ireland. Despite the uncertainty that Brexit brings, we are still in the enviable position of being the fastest growing economy within the EU. The foodservice market has witnessed an annual growth rate of over 5% per year for over the past number of years, with both consumer and business tourist numbers fuelling major growth in urban centres."

The report notes that health and authenticity in foodservice continues to experience growing consumer demand, with provenance still "very much on trend" as customers like to know who they are supporting and enjoy "food with a story".