“The survey of 675 Australian vegetable consumers showed adults were consuming an average of only 2.5 servings of vegetables a day, which is half the recommended daily intake for adults of 5-6 serves,” said Andrew White, Ausveg manager of industry development and communications. “Also of concern was that the consumers that had kids stated their children were only consuming an average of 2.4 serves of vegetables per day, which is in the lower range of the vegetable intake recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council of 2-5 serves.”
High vegetable consumption has long been associated with a range of health benefits, including a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, morbidity and some forms of cancer.
“The findings from the survey should be a wake-up call for many Australians who need to eat healthier, and I would encourage them to make a pledge to improve their daily vegetable consumption,” said White.
The consumer survey was funded through HAL using the National Vegetable Levy and matched funds from the Australian government.
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