Vegetables should play a pivotal role in maintaining a healthy, balanced diet; yet a new international survey shockingly reveals that Brits aren’t eating their 5 A Day. Fewer than a quarter (24%) of Brits manage to meet the recommended guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) of eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day. The main causes for not eating enough greens are down to a lack of recipe inspiration (31%) and not prioritising it (31%). The nation has also confessed their neglect towards veggies is due to a lack of time (29%) and that they can’t afford them (27%).
These are some insights gathered from a new extensive survey conducted by Kantar on behalf of healthy fast-food experts Picadeli. It was carried out in seven countries across Europe and the United States and asked over 11,000 people to examine how eating habits affect their health and quality of life.
Financial strain and dietary sacrifices
One in five respondents cut back on fruit and vegetables in order to save money during the cost-of-living crisis, while 13% spent less than 10% of their food budget on them. This is something that David von Laskowski, Group CEO at Picadeli, believes could be changed by shifting the perception of our daily greens, in order to motivate people to change their eating habits.
“I believe that behavioural change will be the world’s biggest challenge, and opportunity, this year. A shift in eating habits is crucial, both for people and the planet, despite recession and higher inflation. But what happens if we stop seeing veggies as an expensive add-on to other food, and instead consider them to be a full, and suddenly rather budget-friendly, meal in themselves? We truly believe this is one of the solutions going forward,” says David von Laskowski, Group CEO at Picadeli.
However, there’s hope yet for Britain. Of all the countries surveyed, Brits are the most optimistic about the impact food can have on their carbon footprint, and after the US, worry the most that their diet has a negative impact on their health.
Wanted: structural change
More than three-quarters (78%) of recipients in the study believe that a reduced tax on fruit and vegetables would encourage people to make more healthy food choices in the supermarket. Higher taxes on junk food and red meat, as well as free fruit in school from an early age, are other suggestions for our decision makers to create incentives for us to eat more healthily. France leads the charge, but in a close second, Britain thinks a higher tax on junk food would encourage them to make more healthy food choices in the supermarket. The call out for governmental subsidies on fruit and veg is particularly strong among people aged 18-34 (82%) and families with children (83%). These groups are also facing significant challenges with costs – with almost half of British families with children turning to junk food for meals 1-3 times a week.
But it’s not only due to cost that we don’t consume our daily greens. The survey also shows that we don’t prioritise it, even though more than half (53%) of respondents worry that their diet has a negative impact on their health. How come? Where is our motivation?
“For some people it really is too expensive, and for them we need to lower the cost, for example with a reduced tax on fruit and greens, as indeed many people in this study suggest,” says Erik Bohjort, Psychologist and Behaviour Change Consultant at Nordic Behaviour Group. But for a lot of people, it’s rather the comparison or the idea of the cost that is too high. It’s about the mental model of a meal. Perhaps the concept of what a green meal is needs to expand a little bit so it can include hot elements or main course elements that are more aligned with the common lunch preferences, Erik Bohjort explains.
Main reasons for not eating 400g fruit or vegetables per day:*
1. I do not prioritise it (34%)
2. Lack of meal preparation inspiration (32%)
3. I can’t afford it (28%)
4. Lack of time (21%)
5. I don’t like the taste (7%)
*Results refer to all seven countries in the study.
