We can all agree that eating fresh fruit and vegetables is vital for good health. Authorities and governments, along with the European Commission, have long recognised and promoted the importance of fresh fruit and vegetables to ensuring a healthy diet and the long-term prevention of obesity and chronic illness.

Apparently, from the 27 European member states, only Greece and Italy reach the 400g daily intake recommended by the World Health Organisation. In many European countries, consumption would have to double in order to reach that desired level. Incredibly, in some countries, consumption figures are either continuing to fall or are stagnant, while obesity continues to rise globally as one of the most preventable causes of death.

Considering the commitment made by so many to improving the situation, it is troubling to find yet another marketing ploy on offer to consumers, which I came across in the Netherlands, that helps limit fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. It is called food shopping by number, and buying the complete ‘menu’ costs only €2 (£1.40) per person.

Consumers have no need to think - they just choose from one of four numerically organised ready-made family (four-person) meal menus. The idea is to choose the number-one carbohydrate to match the number-two salad or vegetable mix, and the number-three meat that goes with the number-four sauce.

Everything is neatly processed and packaged. One only need nuke the sauce, meat and carbohydrate, and then empty the plastic packs onto plates.

It is not just the sodium levels, low nutritional content, environmental factors, or even the lack of taste, quality and freshness that surprise me here - it is more the complete and systematic destruction of every beneficial social and cultural food norm known to man.

It is a fact that consumers are swayed by advertising and convenience, and that all businesses need to find ways to make money. But it is also a fact that catering to this kind of food ignorance and apathy is tantamount to us injuring, if not one day killing, both ourselves and our children.

Are we prepared to consign all the goodness of food to the realm of papers being churned out by our governments and the like?

If the food industry does not take responsibility for bringing greater volumes of quality fresh food into play in its business practices and general marketing to consumers, who do we expect will? The legislators?