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5 A DAY

5 A DAY general information

5 A DAY introduction

Last modified date:

8 February 2010

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is a national priority.

Cancer and coronary heart disease account for 60% of all early deaths. A key feature of the Government's prevention strategy to reduce early deaths from these diseases is action to improve diet and nutrition.

The NHS Plan, The NHS Cancer Plan and the National Service Frameworks for Coronary Heart Disease and Vulnerable Older People all highlight diet and nutrition as a key area for action. This includes action to reduce fat, sugar and salt in the diet, and to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Current recommendations are that everyone should eat at least 5 portions of a variety fruit and vegetables each day, to reduce the risks of cancer and coronary heart disease and many other chronic diseases. Most recent trends data from the Health Survey for England show that the average number of portions consumed in adults is 3.5 portions for men and 3.8 portions for women (Aresu et al, 2009). Consumption tends to be lower among children and people on low incomes.

The main barriers to eating more fruit and vegetables are:

access and availability - whether people have access to good quality, affordable fruit and vegetables locally
attitudes and awareness - awareness of the 5 A DAY message, and people's knowledge, attitudes, motivation and skills concerning buying, preparing and eating fruit and vegetables.

The government led 5 A DAY programme aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by:

raising awareness of the health benefits
improving access to fruit and vegetables through targeted action

The 5 A DAY programme has five strands which are underpinned by an evaluation and monitoring programme:

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme
Local 5 A DAY initiatives
National/local partners - Government Health Consumer Groups
Communications programme including 5 A DAY logo
Work with industry - producers, caterers, retailers

Reference

Aresu M, Bécares L, Brage S, Chaudhury M, Doyle-Francis M, Esliger D, Fuller E, Gunning N, Hall J, Hirani V, Jotangia D, Mindell J, Moody A, Ogunbadejo T, Pickup D, Reilly N, Robinson C, Roth M, Wardle H (2009) Health Survey for England 2008: Physical activity and fitness. The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care