11th Nov 2008 - 00:00
Abstract
America's new president elect, Barack Obama, may be promising to improve the American economy but one thing he is unlikely to change is his country's hefty consumption of burgers.
The latest figures from market analyst Horizons (see table below) show that an average US citizen spends $94.06 (€66.74) a year in McDonald's, while the average European spends only a third as much at €19.47. "At one time there was talk of European consumption of McDonald's catching that of America, but I don't think it will now," said Horizons' managing director Peter Backman. "Cultural differences are the key issue and while we like our burgers, we don't like them quite as much as Americans do. Europe also offers a more diversified range of foods, so we have more choice in the high street. "Having said that, there are plenty of countries in Europe that have lots of catching up to do when it comes to consumption of burgers – especially in the former Eastern bloc. "Over the past 10 years we have seen massive growth in consumption in Ireland and Spain and, when economies improve, we are most likely to see further growth for McDonald's, and other fast food chains that take the plunge, in countries such as Poland, Hungary and the former Yugoslav republics."