Consumers are still failing to hit their 5 A DAY and consumption of fruit and vegetables is actually falling, according to government statistics.
The annual Family Food report, based on Defra figures, showed a slight decline in the weekly consumption of fresh veg, excluding potatoes, from 736g per person in 2002-03 to 733g in 2003/04.
Fresh fruit has also dropped, from 794g per person per week to 789g over the same period.
The statistics, based on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Expenditure and Food Survey, show the average consumption of fruit and vegetables is 3.7 portions a day, compared with the recommended five.
The figures are all the more disappointing given that the previous year’s Family Food report indicated fruit and vegetable consumption was estimated to be 2.5 per cent higher than the 2001-02 period.
However, while volumes are down, expenditure has risen slightly, with fresh veg rising from 117p per day in 2002-03 to 123p in 2003-04, while fruit saw an increase from 111p a day to 115p for the same period.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said it is still committed to getting the healthy eating message across: “The 5 A DAY programme is aimed at increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables. To support this we need to increase consumer awareness, attitude and understanding of the 5 A DAY message. In 2004 awareness of the term 5 A DAY rose 10 per cent on 2003 to 54 per cent.
“We cannot tell people how to live their lives or force them to be healthy, but we can give them real opportunities to make healthy choices, information to make sure those choices are properly informed, and support in their everyday lives.”
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