Spain’s diet worsens: more ultra-processed food, less home cooking

Spain’s diet is deteriorating: more ultra-processed foods, less home cooking, and rising costs

More delivery scooters, more kebab stands, more cheap corn flour arepas, and fewer people making cocido (traditional stew). The perception that Spaniards eat worse than a generation ago has become a conviction. But is this nostalgia or do the data confirm it?

The end of traditional cooking

The proliferation of fast food and delivery services is not just an impression: in many cities, kebab and gourmet burger shops are multiplying while traditional grocery stores shrink. Those who still cook at home do so less frequently. The main reason is not laziness but work schedules. With two incomes requiring time away from home, having the time to shop and prepare elaborate meals is a luxury many cannot afford. Batch cooking—preparing meals for several days—is a solution some propose, but it clashes with the idea that reheated food loses quality, although dishes like stews improve with resting.

Prices pushing meat and fish off the table

Food prices have risen sharply. A dozen medium eggs at Mercadona reaches €3.10, whereas in the United States they cost $2; adjusted for income, the difference is stark. The menú del día (daily set menu) in long-standing bars now approaches €15, and many places have cut back on dessert or coffee. According to an analysis cited in discussions, one in three families has given up meat and fish to pay rent or mortgage. Obesity affects nearly half the population in the US; some see the same path for Spain if the trend is not reversed.

Lack of time or lack of will?

It is not all about economics. Some argue that eating well is a matter of organization and that lemon and herb chicken can be ready in 45 minutes in the oven. The key lies in the willingness to learn basic techniques—pressure cooker, griddle, oven—and avoiding ultra-processed foods. Others point out that the food industry has created dependency: delivery apps, supermarket ready-made meals, and advertising push consumers toward refined flours, sugars, and low-quality fats. Traditional cuisine, with its legumes, seasonal vegetables, and slow cooking, is disappearing into thin air.

No consensus, but a shared diagnosis

The debate makes clear there is widespread awareness that something has changed for the worse. Neither the abundance of out-of-season tropical fruits nor improvements in the cold chain compensate for the loss of culinary habits and the rising cost of basic foods. The lingering question is whether Spanish society will be able to reverse this drift or if, as peine in other countries, convenience and price will ultimately impose a poorer diet.

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