Morocco’s Fast Food Boom: Study Shows Shift from Traditional Cuisine

According to the latest HCP note on "The evolution of the standard of living of the population in light of the results of the national household living standards survey for the year 2022", the share of "meals eaten outside" in the eating habits of Moroccan households has doubled between 2014 and 2022, from 6.5% to 12.8%.

This upward trend is observed both in urban areas, where the share of "meals outside" has increased from 7.5% to 14.8%, and in rural areas where it has reached 7.9% compared to 4.7%. "Meals eaten outside" accounted for 21% of the food expenditure of the 10% of the wealthiest households in 2022, compared to only 5.4% for the 10% of the poorest households, the note indicates.

The HCP also reveals that the 10% of the poorest households consume less "dairy products" than the 10% of the wealthiest households (3.6% vs. 5.5%), fish (2.6% vs. 5.5%), fruits (6.2% vs. 8.2%) and red meat (12.6% vs. 13.3%).

On the other hand, the poorest households devote a considerable budget to "cereals and cereal products" (14.6% vs. 10.6% for the wealthiest households), "fresh vegetables" (14.8% vs. 7%), "fats" (10.2% vs. 6.1%), "poultry" (9.3% vs. 4.8%), "legumes" (4.3% vs. 2.7%) and "sugar and sugary products" (4.2% vs. 3.4%).

This survey on the standard of living of households for the year 2022 is the fourth carried out by the HCP, after those of 1991, 1999 and 2007. It was conducted between March 15, 2022 and March 14, 2023 on a sample of 18,000 households spread across the entire territory of the kingdom.