More than a third of Europeans admit to not consuming fruit and vegetables every day, according to the latest data published by Eurostat.
In some member states, more than 80 per cent of the population say they eat fruit and vegetables every day, while in others only a third of the population do, a situation that is regarded as a major public health concern, according to Aprifel, the French agency for research and information on fruit and vegetables.
Only 64 per cent of Europeans say they eat fruit every day (37 per cent once a day, 27 per cent twice a day or more), which means that over a third (36 per cent) do not.
French consumption lags behind average European consumption, with 62 per cent eating fruit every day (32.5 per cent once a day, 29.5 per cent twice a day or more) and 38 per cent of the population saying they do not eat fruit every day.
Those countries with the most regular fruit consumption are Italy (85 per cent of the population eat it every day), Portugal (81 per cent), Spain (77 per cent) and Ireland (74 per cent).
Those with the lowest consumption are Lithuania, Bulgaria and Latvia, where less than 40 per cent of the population make a claim to daily fruit consumption.
When it comes to vegetables, more than a third of Europeans (36 per cent) say they do not eat vegetables every day. Only 64 per cent of Europeans say they eat it daily and the majority eat it once a day (40 per cent once a day and 23 per cent twice a day or more).
The French exceed average European vegetable consumption, with 71 per cent eating every day (36.5 per cent once a day, 34.2 per cent twice a day or more) and 29.2 per cent failing to eat vegetables every day.
The countries with the highest consumption of vegetables are Ireland (84 per cent of the population eats daily), Belgium (84 per cent) and Italy (80 per cent).
Those with the lowest consumption are Latvia, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania and Bulgaria, where less than half report consuming vegetables each day.
The Eurostat data has caused concern since a large portion of the European population does not meet the five-a-day recommended target for fruit and vegetable consumption, which is based on a broad scientific consensus about the role fruit and vegetables play in protecting against cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
