|
|
 |
|
|
|
Expenditure
In 2004-05, each person in the UK spent an average of £3.49 per week on fruit and vegetables (including fresh, frozen, processed & dried) for household consumption. This equates to about 15% of the total weekly expenditure on all food and drink (including soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and confectionery) consumed within the home.
Household Consumption of Fruit & Vegetables
As can be seen in Figure 1, fruit and vegetable purchases have increased from the 1970s up to 2000 and then remained fairly static. In 2004-05 an average of 2274 grams of fruit and vegetables were purchased per person per week. This has been estimated to be equivalent to 3.7 portions per person per day, short of the recommendation of at least 5 portions.
|
Household purchases of fruit and vegetables
Source: Family Food in 2004-05 |
Fruit Consumption
The trend of increased consumption of fruit has not been seen for all products. It is particularly significant for bananas, other fresh fruit and fruit juice. Further details are given below:
- Consumption of bananas has grown by 258% from 1974 to 2004-05. Their popularity could be due to their convenience, year round availability and their consistent quality.
- The popularity of fruit juice continues to grow. This may be due to the demand for convenience products (fruit juice is easy to drink ‘on the go’) as well as innovations in packaging and flavours.
- Consumption of other fruits products such as canned fruit, perhaps perceived as less convenient, continue to decline, whereas consumption of apples remains fairly static. Consumption of other types of fresh fruit has increased since 1970s, probably reflecting the wider selection of fruits now available.
|
Trends in Fruit Purchases
Source: Family Food in 2004-05 |
Vegetables Consumption
In 2004-05 vegetable purchases were 3.1% lower than in 1974. As can be seen from the graph, the type of vegetables consumed has changed since 1974. For example,
- Purchases of fresh green vegetables were 38% lower
- Purchases of frozen vegetables and canned, bottled, dried and other processed vegetables decreased
- Purchases of other fresh vegetables were 32% higher
|
Trends in Vegetable Purchases
Source: Family Food in 2004-05 |
Consumption split by income groups:
Households in the lowest income groups:
- Consume around 7% less fruit than average
- Consume 4% less vegetables than average
Households in highest income groups:
- Consume around 14% more fruit than average
- Consume 3% more vegetables than average
Back to Top ^
|
|
|
|
