Could it be that 5 A DAY is nearing yet another crossroads in its history in this country?
Since its introduction here in the early 1990s, as a concept pilfered righteously from the other side of the Atlantic, responsibility for relaying the message has been passed around, from the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Information Bureau, to the Fresh Produce Consortium, and latterly into the hands of the Department of Health, which has invested relatively heavily in making it work.
But again this week a report is issued that suggests that the general public, or consumer as we like to call them, takes little notice of the message, nor the consequences of ignoring its scientifically sound nutritional advice.
The report said: “There can be few areas of public policy where the benefits to lives, health and well-being are potentially as dramatic as they could be in diet and nutrition.” Who can disagree with that? Although the official overall figure for the UK is nearer to four portions per day per person, on average, the UK’s children still only eat around 2.5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day - half the recommended intake. Yet they do eat 50 per cent more sugar than the recommended maximum, and 25 per cent more saturated fat. As they represent your future business, the portents for growth are not exactly rosy.
That this report emanates from the Cabinet Office could, and maybe should, ring a few alarm bells for this industry. Fresh produce has received unprecedented government support through the School Fruit & Vegetable Scheme and its 5 A DAY commitments in the last five years. But there is no guaranteed long-term support mechanism - the tap could be switched off at virtually any time if policy changes.
Sooner or later, the responsibility is likely to switch back to this industry to look after its own publicity and propaganda. It is an old argument, but it still holds true that fresh produce companies have been lax in the extreme when it comes to pushing the value of their products to consumers. Retail and foodservice customers have thousands of product lines to promote and support; most produce firms have a handful at most. To see real, positive change, the propensity to rely on compromised customers to tout our products for us needs to disappear once and for all.
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