European should consume more fruits & vegetables: a hughe potential market for the industry is there!

Regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is considered as an important element of a healthy and balanced diet. In the European Union (EU) however, slightly more than a third (34.4%) of the population aged 15 or over did not eat them on a daily basis in 2014, while less than 15% (14.1%) consumed at least 5 portions each day. This is the consumption 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)". The daily consumption of fruit and vegetables differs widely between EU Member States, with those aged 15 or over not eating fruit and vegetables on a daily basis ranging from almost two-thirds of the population in Romania (65.1%) to slightly over 15% in Belgium (16.5%). On the other hand, the share of those eating at least 5 portions daily varied from a third in the United Kingdom (33.1%) to less than 5% in both Romania (3.5%) and Bulgaria (4.4%). 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. This information, extracted from the European Health Interview Survey, is issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, on the occasion of the World Food Day (16 October). The graphic shows the share of the EU population eating at least 5 portions of fruit or vegetables on a daily basis, 2014 (% of the population aged 15 or over). Origin, the Eurostat Press Release.The complete PR is available here: