- Origin of the advice
- Benefits of fruit & vegetables
- Department of Health (DH) 5 A DAY Scheme
- Putting it into practice
- What is a portion?
- UK consumption
- Consumer awareness and attitudes

 

Origin of the advice

The advice to eat a specific quantity of fruit and vegetables came from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991. They recommended consuming a minimum intake of 400g fruit and vegetables a day. One portion of fruit and vegetables is 80g, so five portions add up to 400g.

In 1994, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) (now replaced by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)), which advises the UK Government, examined the links between diet and heart disease. COMA concluded that fruit and vegetables help to protect against heart disease and that people in the UK should increase the amount they eat to at least five portions a day. Fruit and vegetables offer many health benefits.

Benefits of fruit & vegetables

Most fruit and vegetables are naturally low in calories and fat. They also provide fibre and a range of vitamins such as vitamin C and folate. Fruit and vegetables also contain phytochemicals – compounds which may have beneficial health effects, helping to protect against a number of diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Department of Health (DH) 5 A DAY Scheme

Current recommendations are that everyone should eat at least 5 different portions of fruit and vegetables each day. It has been estimated that this could reduce your risk of death from diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer by up to 20%.

In 2001 the DH initiated its 5 A DAY programme to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

The 5 A DAY programme has five strands:

• National School Fruit Scheme
• Local 5 A DAY initiatives
• National/local partners - Government Health Consumer Groups
• Communications programme including 5 A DAY logo
• Work with industry - producers, caterers, retailers
   

5 A DAY logo

In December 2002 the DH 5 A DAY logo was launched. It is initially only to be used to promote fresh and processed fruit and vegetable products without any added fats, sugars or salt. It applies to fresh, chilled, frozen, canned and dried fruit and vegetables and 100% fruit and vegetable juice. The DH is in the process of developing criteria that will enable the logo to be used on a broader range of foods including composite food products such as soups and ready meals. Portion sizes for children are also being developed.

Some retailers and manufacturers are using this logo, whilst others have adopted their own to encourage shoppers to consume more fruit and vegetables.

Putting it into practice

People are advised to try to eat at least five portions of different fruits and vegetables every day, not including potatoes. Variety is important to ensure that a range of different beneficial nutrients and other dietary factors in fruits and vegetables are consumed.

What is a portion?

80g of fruit or vegetables is equal to a portion as illustrated below:

* This is because the juice contains very little fibre. Also, the juicing process releases the natural sugars out of the cells that normally contain them, which means that drinking juice in between meals isn't good for your teeth.

UK consumption

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that the average fruit and vegetable consumption among adults aged 19 to 64 years living in private households in Great Britain is less than 3 portions a day. Overall only 13% of men and 15% of women consume five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Consumption tends to be lower among younger adults, children and people on low incomes. For example, in the survey young men only averaged 1.3 portions per day compared with 3.6 portions by the oldest group of men.
 

Total Fruit & Vegetable Consumption

Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey

The Family Food Survey 2004-2005 showed that:

• Consumption of fruit and vegetables eaten in the home has remained relatively static since 2000, with an average of 2,274 grams 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.

Consumer awareness and attitudes

Research commissioned by the Food Standards Agency published in February 2006 indicates that there has been a significant increase in awareness of the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables to be consumed every day i.e. at least five portions, from 43% in 2000 to 52% in 2002 and 67% in 2005. However, only 30% of people claimed to have eaten at least 5 portions on the day prior to the survey. This represents a decrease from 2004 (51%) but is a similar level to 2003 (28%).

As awareness of the recommended number of portions has increased over time, behaviour has not changed. The gap between knowing what one should do and actually doing it has in fact widened.

National data shows that fruit and vegetable recommendations are not being met even though awareness has increased. This implies that although some consumers know what they should be doing, they are not putting this knowledge into practice.

To increase your fruit and vegetable intake, try one or more of the following:

• Have a glass of juice at breakfast
• Add a small handful of dried fruit to your breakfast cereal
• Add some sliced cucumber and tomatoes to your sandwiches
• Snack on fresh or dried fruit
• Add extra vegetables to pasta sauces and stir fries
   

	Related Items on IGD.com:  Factsheets: - Balanced Diet - Diet & Health - Guideline Daily Amounts Free Guides: - Portion Size: A Review of Existing Approaches - Saturated Fat - Guideline Daily Amounts Related Internet links: - Department of Health - Family Food - Report on the Expenditure & Food Survey - Five A Day - Food Standards Agency’s Consumer Attitudes to Food Standards report - Food Standards Agency - National Diet and Nutrition Survey (IGD is not responsible for the content of external sites)