 printable version
Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption around the world
Introduction
Fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet, and their sufficient daily consumption could help prevent major diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Overall, it is estimated that up to 2.7 million lives could potentially be saved each year if fruit and vegetable consumption were sufficiently increased.
A recently published WHO/FAO report recommends as a population-wide intake goal the consumption of a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables per day (excluding potatoes and other starchy tubers) for the prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, as well as for the prevention and alleviation of several micronutrient deficiencies, especially in less developed countries.
The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health emphasizes the increase of fruit and vegetables consumption as one of the dietary recommendations to be considered when preparing national policies and dietary guidelines for populations and individuals.
Recognizing the increasing scientific evidence that low fruit and vegetable intake is a key risk factor for several noncommunicable diseases, WHO and FAO launched a joint Fruit and Vegetable Promotion Initiative in Rio de Janeiro in November 2003. This initiative is one of the many actions integrated in the implementation of DPAS. The overall goal of this Initiative is to strengthen, promote and protect health in the context of an healthy diet by guiding the development of sustainable actions at community, national and global levels that, when taken together, will lead to reduced risk of chronic diseases through increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
In September 2004, the first Joint WHO/FAO Workshop on Fruit and Vegetables for Health was held at the WHO Kobe Centre for Health and Development in Kobe, Japan. This workshop brought together more than 50 experts from the fields of health, nutrition, agriculture and horticulture, mainly from developing countries, that developed a framework to promote fruit and vegetables at country level.
For more information about this and other workshops, please click here.
Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption around the world:
1,2,3,4,5
| Next page
|
