How much money to spend per month on food: statistics and examples

Proper nutrition can be cheap and varied - this is confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Health, offering food standards that provide the estimated average per capita need for nutrients and energy, as well as the variety of food consumed.

Below are excerpts from the order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated August 19, 2016 N 614. These recommendations can be used to plan the volume of food production in the agro-industrial complex, as well as by citizens when forming individual diets.

Recommendations for calculating banquet food and drinks

Russian people associate celebrations with loved ones in chic outfits, delicious food and alcoholic drinks. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a holiday without treats. If a wedding or New Year is approaching, many of us are organizing a banquet. The preparatory event is a troublesome task, because you want every guest to be well-fed and satisfied. No person should sit with an empty plate and be bored, right? The holiday will leave behind pleasant memories if you contact the specialists of the Russian Traditions cafe chain. Managers with 10 years of experience know how to calculate a menu per person and create a warm, cozy atmosphere, and the chefs know the secrets of preparing amazingly tasty dishes. Regardless of the reason for fun, feel free to contact our company. We also recommend reading this useful article. The publication describes the options and standards for the banquet menu. If you take this information into account when ordering a restaurant, you will be able to feed your guests tasty and high-quality food. You can create your own menu and correctly calculate the number of treats and drinks.

Coffee break

This is the shortest of the events - only 15-40 minutes. Remember that the menu must include at least one type of fairly high-calorie snack with meat. The rest varies. We count per person:

• Two types of baked goods or snacks: croissants, pies, sandwiches, etc. The total number is equal to the number of people present. If you're not serving anything other than baked goods, you can offer three variations. In the absence of sweets, the amount eaten will increase to two per person;
• 2-3 types of sweets: cakes, cookies, sweets - total weight from 60 to 150 grams per person. By increasing the portions of sweets, you can reduce the portions of baked goods and vice versa;
• Drinks: coffee, tea, juice, water - from two to three cups/glasses.

The Catery.ru catalog offers many options for ready-made coffee break sets

What are banquets like?

The festive table is set not only in honor of weddings, New Years and birthdays. There are many other reasons when you need to calculate a banquet menu. In the Russian Traditions network, a manager will do this for you. So, you have to calculate the number of treats when ordering the following types of banquets:

• corporate. Celebrating the “red days of the calendar” and company events in an informal setting;
• business. Restaurant service at partner meetings, conferences, business forums and symposiums;
• wedding Celebrations for newlyweds and their loved ones on wedding days;
• graduations. Celebrating graduation at a luxurious table;
• anniversary Organized in honor of the round anniversary.

Will the portions be the same at all the listed banquets? It all depends on the form of the event. For business buffets, fewer products are used. A wedding banquet will cost more; it is prepared taking into account the average statistical standards, which are described below.

List of products for holiday dishes

At banquets there is more than one appetizer and salads, but a main hot dish, sauces, desserts and fruits are served. For all this you will need a lot of products. However, you first need to calculate their quantity, and then go purchase. Choose quality products! The product is not of the first freshness and is hazardous to health; moreover, it has an unattractive appearance. It will not be possible to prepare an appetizing tasty dish from it.

So, what will you need for the banquet? Try to calculate the weight as accurately as possible:

• meat;
• fresh vegetables;
• pickles;
• fruit;
• cheeses;
• sausages and smoked meats;
• fresh and lightly salted fish;
• eggs;
• cheeses;
• sweets, etc.

Meat, vegetable, cheese slices, and cold salads are first placed on holiday tables. For lovers of Japanese cuisine, you can prepare rolls. Next comes the turn of hot salads and main courses. At the end of the banquet, fruits and desserts are served.

When calculating food, we must not forget about drinks. When ordering food in a restaurant, you are allowed to bring it with you in the required amount. The number of drinks depends on the number of invited persons. As a rule, juices, mineral water (it’s better to take it without carbon), wine, champagne, and vodka are on the tables.

Breakfast or brunch

The duration of breakfast or brunch does not exceed one and a half hours. However, the universal 100 grams of food per hour does not work here: after all, breakfast is one of the main meals, and brunch is a late breakfast that excludes lunch. Therefore, we will eat heavily. We count per person:

• Main course: pancakes, sandwiches, sandwiches, porridge - 150 grams;
• Accompanying dishes: omelet, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, cheesecakes, yogurt - 100 grams;
• 3-5 pieces of fruit or a serving of fruit salad;
• Drinks: coffee, juice, tea, water - from two to three cups/glasses.

Don't forget to check out our breakfast offerings in our catalog

We take into account the subtleties

It will not be possible to correctly compose and calculate the menu without knowing the number of people at the holiday. It is with determining the scale of the event that the preparation of the banquet begins. However, not everyone can competently create a menu. People who do not work in the restaurant service industry do not know the intricacies of organizing a banquet. When planning a holiday, you cannot ignore the points presented in the table.

There are many subtleties, so the organization of the banquet should be handled by a professional!

What is a consumer basket

A consumer basket is a list of products that are necessary to saturate the body and allow it to function normally during the month. The cost of the consumer basket is calculated based on the average price of the products included in it. Based on the obtained figure, a living wage is established. This is a certain amount of money, which, according to legislators, should be enough for one person to live a full life.

Today, citizens of the Russian Federation use the 2017 consumer basket. It was originally planned that the product list would be reviewed annually, but the Ministry of Labor suspended this initiative for three years. Thus, the new basket will appear only in 2022.

Festive food norms for 1 person

When calculating the menu, you cannot ignore the duration of the event. For a long feast you will need more snacks and drinks. So, the calculation standards for 1 guest, taking into account the duration and type of banquet, are as follows (in grams):

• 1-2 hour business meetings – up to 400;
• graduations and anniversaries – from 600 to 1,200;
• events lasting up to 4 hours – 600;
• weddings – in the range of 1,200–1,500.

Servings of dishes for 1 person for long banquets do not need to be calculated, they are known (in g):

• cold appetizers – 350–400;
• salads – 200–250;
• hot snacks – 100;
• main courses – 400;
• fruits and dessert – 150–200 each.

Knowing the generally accepted standards, it is easy to calculate the holiday menu. For example, for 20 people they buy about 27–30 kg of food. With such volumes of food, not a single person will leave hungry. If the cook has tried, only a small amount of cold appetizers and fruit will remain on the tables.

List of vital products

• bread
• chicken eggs
• pasta
• flour
• cereals
• fruits and vegetables
• meat, including chicken
• fish
• dairy
• vegetable oil
• seasonings and spices
• sugar
• tea

Since we are talking about the subsistence level, Rosstat specialists take the lowest price of a product from a certain product category. For example, when calculating the average cost of apples, prices for domestic fruits are taken. Imported fruits will cost significantly more. When determining prices for eggs, the lowest category is taken, since it costs less. Thus, the basket consists of a minimum set of products taken at the lowest prices.

The Government of the Russian Federation has determined standards for the consumption of vital products. Thus, according to legislators, for a full-fledged existence, an ordinary person will need 9 kg of bread, 8.4 kg of potatoes, 9 kg of vegetables, 4.8 kg of fresh fruits, 1.8 kg of sweets, 2.4 kg of dairy products per month, 1. 2 kg of vegetable and butter, 1.5 kg of fish, 4.8 kg of meat and only 15 eggs.

Features of calculating and serving banquet dishes

The celebration begins with snacks. They are served on common large dishes, taking into account the serving concept. Salads and appetizers are calculated based on the number of people at the table. They are rarely served in portions, since each person has their own taste preferences.

When preparing main dishes, meat or fish is used. Garnishes can include:

• baked or boiled potatoes;
• rice;
• fresh vegetables or grilled.

Before serving fish and meat dishes, empty dishes and dirty plates containing snacks are removed from the tables. If it's time for desserts, it means the event is coming to an end. The main sweet treats can be:

• portion of cake;
• cake;
• mousse;
• fruit jelly.

There are also fruits on the tables. It can be sliced ​​or salad.

When calculating the menu, we must not forget about bread. Many people are accustomed to eating snacks and main courses with baked goods. Their quantity is calculated taking into account generally accepted standards: 150 g of bread is enough for 1 person.

A banquet also requires sauces and seasonings. They are served in common special dishes. For 10 people you should put 1 gravy boat and 1 salt pan.

Buffet

When organizing a buffet, staying within the budget will be the most difficult thing. First of all, set aside a certain time for the feast. Also, during self-service, guests tend to snack more often and put more on their plate than you expect. Therefore, it is preferable to have snacks that are a separate portion: canapés, tartlets, sandwiches, pies, sushi, etc. For the buffet:

• Hot meat or fish: one type - 180-200 grams, two types - 110 grams each, three types - 80 grams per person;
• Side dishes: high-calorie (potatoes) - 140 grams, filling (rice, pasta) - 50 grams, vegetables - 120 grams;
• Burgers, sandwiches, canapés - 3-4 variations, two pieces for each invitee. If you are not serving main dishes and side dishes, provide 6-8 options for appetizers. Expect that each guest will enjoy 10-15 different appetizers throughout the evening;
• Baking - one item for each guest;
• Cake - one piece, if no other desserts are provided - 1.5 pieces per person. If you don’t want cake, serve 3-4 types of mini-desserts (including ice cream and sweet mousses if desired);
• Sweet mousses, parfaits - 120 grams per person;
• Ice cream - 140 grams each.

If you don’t want to deal with the calculations personally, choose ready-made buffet sets

Preparation of non-alcoholic and alcoholic menus

There are drinks for everyone and the main group. The first include:

• cognac;
• Martini;
• liquor;
• whiskey;
• gin.

The main alcoholic drinks are: vodka, wine, champagne. How to calculate their number per person? Take into account generally accepted standards:

• vodka – 250 ml;
• wine – 750 ml;
• champagne – 250 ml.

Now about soft drinks. For a banquet they buy mineral water (usually still), juice, and fruit drink. Ready-made products can be replaced with compote or broth. There are no set limits for soft drinks per person. As a rule, 0.5 liters of water and the same amount of juice are enough for 1 person. When planning to have fun throughout the night, they buy 50–100% more mineral water.

How to calculate cold appetizers

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When calculating snacks for a banquet, use the following data.

• The standard yield of cold appetizers per person is 350–400 g. These include cheese, vegetable and meat slices, mini-sandwiches, canapés, and rolls.
• Salads are served at the rate of 200–250 g per person. The most popular are Caesar, herring under a fur coat, vinaigrette, and various seafood dishes.

All snacks are divided into several parts and served as needed. Most food is consumed in the first part of the banquet, when hot dishes are not yet prepared.

Example of menu calculation for 1 person

Do you want to know what the holiday table will look like? Ask the restaurant administrator to show photos of completed orders. Experienced companies always have them.

Still haven't selected the menu? Check out the following option. It can be repeated or adjusted at your own discretion. So, the average number of snacks is presented in grams per person:

• sliced ​​smoked or lightly salted fish – 100–200;
• canapés with red caviar – 50;
• aspic with tongue – 40;
• sliced ​​sausages and smoked meats – 30;
• canapés with elite cheese – 60–70;
• salad with seafood, meat or fish – 50;
• “Greek” – 50;
• greens –30;
• sliced ​​fresh vegetables – 50;
• pickles – 30;
• mini pies – 50;
• sauerkraut – 40;
• olives, black olives – 10–20;
• spicy snacks (pickled garlic, ginger) – 20.

The more snacks, the less per person. You can find a free food calculator on the Internet to calculate everything correctly.

Options for first and main courses:

• Solyanka meat;
• broth with herbs, vegetables, croutons;
• royal ear;
• sturgeon/salmon with grilled vegetables;
• baked bird with potatoes;
• roast beef with vegetables;
• duck leg;
• piglet with mushrooms.

From the very beginning of the banquet, wicker vases with white and black bread and buns are placed on the tables. Main dishes are complemented with Tatar, cheese, mushroom sauce, adjika, mustard and spices.

For dessert, guests are usually served sweets (at the rate of 3-4 pieces per person), a portion of cake or pastry. They offer tea or coffee along with them. Sugar consumption per person – up to 20 g. Peeled, chopped fruits are served in a common vase.

How much money do freelancers spend on food per month?

Freelancers are people, as a rule, in creative professions. Passionate about their work, they do not always have time to eat. In order to find out how much money “freelance artists” spend on food per month, a survey was conducted among members of the Freelancers Club. It turned out that the vast majority of civilian specialists spend 5,000-7,500 rubles on groceries. per month per person, and every tenth person – over 20,000 rubles per month or about 700 rubles per day.

So, how much money do freelancers spend per month on food per person? More than 750 people took part in the survey. Its results are in the table:

Let's compare the indicators from the table with the cost of living. As of January 1, 2022, it averaged RUB 10,328. per person, for the working population – 11,160 rubles. This amount included not only the cost of food, but also the costs of things and services necessary for life.

If we consider only the list of products that are included in the subsistence level, then this is 350 g of bread and cereals per day (bread, flour, cereals), 275 g of potatoes, 160 g of fruit, 160 g of meat and a number of other items. There are 11 items in total on the list.