Results from the first year of the new National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) suggest that the UK population is getting much closer to its 5 A DAY target than previous studies have suggested. Britons are also eating less saturated fat, less trans fat and less added sugar than 10 years ago.

On average, adults are eating 4.4 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, with over a third of men and women now meeting the 5 A DAY guideline.

However, despite these encouraging indications, intakes of saturated fat are still above the recommended level of 11 per cent of food energy intake, and at 12.5 per cent, population intakes of added sugars still exceed the recommended 11 per cent.

The research shows that the overall picture of the diet and nutrition of the UK population is broadly similar to previous surveys in the NDNS series carried out between 1992 and 2001, although there are suggestions of positive changes.

Gill Fine, director of consumer choice and dietary health at the FSA, said: “The results from the first year of our new NDNS rolling programme provide us with an interesting snapshot of the nation’s diet, and will allow us to track emerging trends over future years. The evidence from this and from further surveys will help us and other government departments formulate policy to address the issues that have been raised.

‘It’s good news that the survey suggests around a third of the population is eating five portions of fruit and veg each day… However, there is obviously a way to go before we are meeting all the government’s dietary recommendations.”

The Fresh Produce Consortium also has some reservations. A spokeswoman said: “Taking into account the findings of previous surveys we are surprised to see such a high evaluation given for the average portions of fruit and vegetables and will be scrutinising the results of this survey further. The report shows some wide variances among individuals in consumption of portions a day, ranging from 2.5 portions per day to 10.2 portions a day for some individuals. According to this same report, total consumption of fruit and vegetables in men was 234g per day, unchanged from the previous survey, and in women was 253g per day, similar to the previous survey (238g per day), which is way below the recommended 400g a day.”

However, the FPC believes that the report’s findings show that the industry’s Eat In Colour campaign and other initiatives are having a positive impact in raising awareness and encouraging people to enjoy fresh produce.

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