A report commissioned by Just Eat for a new industry group called the British Takeaway Campaign has revealed that Northern Irish residents spend an average of £55 per month on takeaway food, which is £25 above the UK average spend of £30.
According to The Irish Times, the report, which is based on an analysis from London's Centre for Economics and Business Research as well as a wide ranging survey of takeaway restaurants, states that total UK spending on takeaway food was estimated to be over £9.9 billion last year.
Overall, the takeaway sector employs 231,350 people in the UK, with approximately 7,800 of those employed in the sector being based in Northern Ireland, where the takeaway sector is worth an estimated £510,000 to the economy every year.
Chair of the British Takeaway Campaign Ibrahim Dogus stated that UK spending on takeaways is expected to rise to £11.2 billion by 2021, bringing in more revenue and generating more employment. However, he also warned that when Brexit comes into effect, the "flow of labour" could be restricted, leading to skills shortages. At present, one in every four UK takeaway businesses have recruited employees from outside of Britain.
