Sales of fresh fruit and veg rose by eight per cent in 2006, the highest annual rise for the last 20 years, according to the government’s Family Food 2005-2006 report.
The figures show that official messages encouraging healthy eating appear to be getting through to consumers. The amount of fruit bought in each household, including sales of pure fruit juice, was up 10 per cent. When people were eating out, sales of fruit rose by 9.9 per cent. Heightened consumption of fruit and juice led to the average intake of vitamin C increasing by almost seven per cent in 2006.
English shoppers led the way, purchasing the most fruit, with the south-west and the north-east throwing up the biggest consumers. Northern Ireland consumed the least amount of fruit and veg, but ate the most potatoes and frozen chips.
Sales of sweets and chocolate fell by 7.7 per cent, and fizzy soft drinks were down 5.7 per cent across the UK. The survey showed that people were prepared to pay more for healthy food, with total spending on food and drink up nearly two per cent. The average spend on food and drink to be eaten at home was up 2.2 per cent to £23.56 per person a week, while the amount spent eating out was up 0.7 per cent, at an average of £11.41 per person. Shoppers spent an extra 13 per cent on fruit.
The survey, produced by Defra, studied the shopping and eating out habits of 16,085 people in 6,785 households.
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