As the European Commission revealed its proposal on Tuesday to fund school fruit and vegetable schemes around the EU, the Fresh Produce Consortium is calling on the government to take advantage of any funding on offer. “People in the UK are not eating enough fruit and vegetables to maintain a healthy diet, and without a dramatic change in eating habits it could take another 25 years for consumers to meet the recommended 5 A DAY,” said FPC chief executive Nigel Jenney. The consortium commissioned research with TNS on actual consumption rather than purchasing data that shows only 12 per cent of the UK population is eating five portions of fruit and vegetables day - the average is just 2.5 servings.

“Children are eating more fruit and vegetables, an indication that initiatives like the Schools Fruit and Vegetable Scheme are having a positive impact, however, there is still room for improvement,” said Jenney. “The FPC wants to see the scheme developed to cover older age groups of schoolchildren, with the UK Government taking advantage of new EU funding opportunities.

“An ambitious programme is needed to tackle public health issues. The Schools Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is encouraging young children to form good eating habits. Since the introduction of the scheme in 2005 there has been a greater increase in consumption among 6-10 year olds, the target age group of the scheme. We want the UK Government to seize opportunities such as the EU funding proposal to fund further school initiatives in order to expand the highly successful Schools Fruit and Vegetable scheme.

Younger adults (aged 17-24) eat less fruit and vegetables compared with children and older age groups. Setting the best example is the older generation - 65 percent of people who do eat 5 A DAY are aged 45 or over.

Obese people are eating far less fruit and vegetables than other consumer groups which is a worrying trend, Jenney warned, given that obesity and poor diet among children is a rising epidemic across Europe, and nearly one in three 10-11 year olds in the UK are overweight.

“Fruit and vegetables are the ultimate convenience food,” he said. “We need to help consumers of all ages to step up their consumption of fruit and vegetables. With increasing levels of obesity, particularly among children, we cannot lose another generation to the consequences of a poor diet.

Some consumers are achieving 5 A DAY on a limited budget, the TNS research found, which indicates that fresh fruit and vegetables can be part of an affordable diet. However, around 1.9 million less well off people are eating less than one serving of fruit and vegetables a day.

Key findings from the FPC survey carried out by TNS Worldpanel show that only 12 per cent of the population hits the 5 A DAY target. Around 60 per cent only eat two servings of fruit and vegetables or less a day. Overall, women set the pace for healthy eating, with 2.7 servings a day compared to men with 2.4 servings a day.

The TNS Worldpanel Usage syndicated study collectied all food and drink consumption from 11,000 individuals in 4,200 households. Representative of the GB population, households record all food and drink consumption for two weeks every six months. The sample is staggered across the year so every day is covered. It is a continuous study that compares results across time. It profiles end consumers, meal occasions, reasons for consumption, day of week and time of day measures of actual consumption.

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