A new study from European Integrated Research Project Isafruit has found what it has described as 'substantial' differences in fresh produce consumption between gender and age groups.
A survey of 4,900 consumers aged 15-70 was carried out by the project across seven European countries, including Germany, Poland, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, investigating the intake of two of the most-consumer fruits in Europe – apples and peaches.
According to results gathered by Isafruit, 9 per cent of those surveyed between the ages of 15-35 never eat apples, with a similar pattern seen for peaches, intakes that are lower than those seen in older age groups.
Conversely, 54.5 per cent of respondents aged between 61-70 years reported that they ate more than five apples per week, up from 17.4 per cent in the 15-35 age group. For peaches, the figures stood at 35.6 per cent for the 61-70 age group and just 15.7 per cent for 15-35.
The survey also found that men are eating significantly lower amounts of apples and peaches than women, and are more liable to avoid consuming these fruits altogether.
