Is food service trade falling in Ireland? The CSO Services Index to August 2026

In volume, yes. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) food service volume index, seasonally adjusted, stood at 139.1 in August 2026 (2021 = 100). That is 1.9% lower than August 2025 and 26.6% lower than August 2023 by our arithmetic. In value the index was 177.0, which is 1.5% higher than a year earlier but 16.8% lower than August 2023. The CSO table gives no reason for any of the movements, so this page gives none.

Is food service trade falling in Ireland?

In volume it is lower than a year ago and well below 2023; in value it is slightly up on a year ago. The CSO volume index for food service was 139.1 in August 2026, against 141.8 in August 2025, 174.5 in August 2024 and 189.5 in August 2023. Those are falls of 1.9%, 20.3% and 26.6%. The percentages are ours.

The value index was 177.0 in August 2026, against 174.4 a year earlier, 207.3 in August 2024 and 212.7 in August 2023. That is up 1.5% on a year earlier, and down 14.6% on August 2024 and 16.8% on August 2023. Also ours. The highest volume figure in the table, which starts in January 2021, is 197.0 in July 2023. August 2026 is the lowest of the 44 months from January 2023 on.

The CSO labels the two series "value" and "volume". I use them as the CSO does. The index is relative to the 2021 base, so do not read 139.1 as a percentage above or below normal. Early 2021 values were low: the January 2021 volume figure is 72.4.

What happened to food service trade in mid-2025?

The CSO volume index dropped sharply between May and July 2025, and I do not know why. It was 165.3 in May 2025, 150.2 in June and 140.7 in July.

Since then it has stayed between about 139 and 163, with the highest of those months being 162.8 in December 2025. The CSO table gives no reason for the drop and I will not guess. The metadata for the latest update gives the reason as "Planned Routine Revision".

How does food service trade compare with services overall?

In volume, services overall are up where food service is down. The CSO all services volume index (seasonally adjusted) was 170.2 in August 2026 against 151.7 in August 2025, up 12.2%. Food service volume over the same twelve months was down 1.9%.

In value, all services were up 13.2% on a year earlier (188.1 against 166.2), against 1.5% for food service. Both percentages for all services are ours. The CSO labels the all services row "All Services (G, H, I, J, L, M, N (excl. 7735), 92, 93, 95, 96)", so it covers many sectors, not only food service.

Does this include cafés?

The row is "Food Service Activities (561, 562)". The CSO table gives the label only. It gives no index for cafés alone, so I cannot say what cafés did on their own.

Where do the numbers come from, and how often are they updated?

They come from CSO table MSI03, Services Index (Base Year 2021=100), a monthly series. It was updated on 9 October 2026 and its latest month is August 2026. For prices rather than trade, see our page on café and restaurant prices. For how many food businesses there are, see our page on how many cafés and restaurants Ireland has.

I read the table on 18 October 2026 and pulled the food service and all services rows, value and volume, seasonally adjusted, for all 68 months from January 2021 to August 2026. You can download them as a CSV. If you cite it: Cupán Studio, from CSO table MSI03, read 18 October 2026.

Services Index, food service activities (561, 562), seasonally adjusted, base 2021 = 100, from CSO table MSI03: August 2023, August 2024 and the twelve months to August 2026.

Month	Value index	Volume index
August 2023	212.7	189.5
August 2024	207.3	174.5
September 2025	174.7	141.9
October 2025	176	142.4
November 2025	177.4	143.1
December 2025	202.1	162.8
January 2026	193.5	155.5
February 2026	185.2	148.3
March 2026	177.7	141.5
April 2026	178.2	141.3
May 2026	176.8	140.1
June 2026	177.3	139.6
July 2026	177.5	139.8
August 2026	177	139.1

Sources

• Central Statistics Office, MSI03 Services Index (Base Year 2021=100), updated 9 October 2026, read 18 October 2026.

Figures from CSO table MSI03, read 18 October 2026; percentages are ours. A summary of published statistics, not financial advice. Cupán Studio builds websites for cafés in Ireland.