IRISH CONSUMERS spent €2.6 billion more on alcohol and cigarettes than food last year, according to Agri Aware, the farming and food educational body.

It has also revealed that for every €1 spent on food, consumers are spending €1.73 on alcohol, tobacco and mobile phones.

As part of a new campaign to address concerns over excessive food prices, Agri Aware says it is aiming to encourage consumers to asses their personal expenditure on non-essential items.

"Everyday we hear criticism about food prices, yet we're spending more on booze alone every year. Fundamentally, there is something very wrong about this," said economist Jim Power,

In 2007, Irish people spent €6.5 billion on groceries, but €7.1 billion on alcohol, according to Agri Aware. About €2.2 billion was spent on mobile phone usage and €2 billion on cigarettes.

"Combined, spending on cigarettes and mobile phones is almost two-thirds of what we spent on food," it said.

The campaign claims that many food items would be 25 per cent more expensive had prices tracked annual inflation.

When compared to other essential services, food prices have run 30 per cent below inflation since 2000, while heating bills have risen by 87 per cent and water supply and refuse prices by 258 per cent, it said.

Mr Power said that these figures highlighted the fact that consumers were still getting a good deal on food.

"Nobody is denying that food prices are rising, but when compared to other everyday costs, the Irish public are still getting value for money," he said.

"I believe that the decline in the economy will encourage consumers to reassess their shopping habits and realise it's more a case of excessive spending than excessive prices."