A new report published by retail and consumer analyst IGD shows that while there have been steady increases in the number of consumers claiming to eat their 5 A DAY, the lowest earners are lagging behind.
Tim Maton, senior consumer analyst at IGD, said: “The food and grocery industry needs to build on the success of the 5 A DAY campaign to date and focus its attention on trying to engage shoppers from lower social grades.”
Maton’s research was carried out in November and December last year among 1,036 shoppers in the UK. He found that although 43 per cent said they eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day (up from 32 per cent in 2006), only 26 per cent of shoppers in the lowest social grades - D and E - made the claim. This figure has not risen in the past four years. The biggest increase over the past 12 months is among shoppers in the social grade C2 - up 25 per cent.
The Fresh Produce Consortium is pleased with the increase.
Ceo Nigel Jenney said: “It’s great to see evidence of any increase in the number of consumers who are eating 5 A DAY compared to a year ago. The FPC’s previous findings confirmed that the UK diet still lags behind the target of 5 A DAY, with most consumers only eating 2.5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
"The industry’s Eat In Colour campaign has contributed to improvements in healthy eating by helping to show consumers of all walks of life how eating fresh produce can be easy to achieve and fun as well. We recognise that both the industry and the UK government need to do a lot more to translate greater awareness of the 5 A DAY message into well-established healthy eating habits across all sectors of our society.”
According to the IGD research, some 50 per cent of ABs and 48 per cent of C1s and C2s said they consume five portions of vegetables and fruit daily.
