1 in 3 European Adults Don’t Eat Their 5 a Day

17 Oct 2016 --- New data suggests just over a third (34.4%) of the European Union (EU) population aged 15 or over did not eat fruit of vegetables on a daily basis in 2014, while less than 15% (14.1%) consumed at least 5 portions each day. 

The data equals to 1 in 7 persons aged 15 or over eating at least 5 portions of fruit or vegetables daily, while 1 in 3 does not eat any fruit or vegetables every day.

The new statistics, extracted from the European Health Interview Survey, and issued by Eurostat, showed that consumption of fruit and vegetables differed widely between EU Member States.

The highest share of "5-a-day" consumption was found to be in the United Kingdom, ( 33.1%) Denmark (25.9%) and the Netherlands, (25%) whereas at the opposite end of the scale, the lowest shares of daily consumption of at least 5 portions of fruit or vegetables were registered in Romania (3.5%), Bulgaria (4.4%), Croatia (7.0%), Austria (7.2%), Slovenia (7.5%) and Greece (7.8%).

At EU level, 1 in 7 persons (14.1%) aged 15 or over was a "5-a-day" in 2014.

Different for men and for women, daily consumption of fruit and vegetables seems also to be influenced by the level of education. The higher the education level is, the higher the share of the "5-a-day" population is.

The 5 a day consumption of fruit and vegetables is promoted by the EU-wide "5-a-day" campaign, following a recommendation by the World Health Organization that individuals consume "a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables per day (excluding potatoes and other starchy tubers)".

Regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is considered as an important element of a healthy and balanced diet.