Five a day fruit and veg consumption in Cyprus below EU average

Cyprus may take pride in its fresh fruit and vegetables but fares less well as regards consumption, with only 7.9 per cent of the population eating the recommended five portions or more daily – the eighth lowest in the EU27.

Figures published by Eurostat on Tuesday show that in 2019, one in three people (33 per cent) in the EU reported not consuming any fruit or vegetables daily and only 12 per cent of the population consumed the recommended five portions or more daily.

On average, over half of the EU population (55 per cent) said they ate between one and four portions of fruit and vegetables daily.

In Cyprus, 58.8 per cent said they ate one to four portions daily and 7.9 per cent five portions or more.

Among the EU Member States, the highest daily intake of five portions or more was reported in Ireland (33 per cent of the population), the Netherlands (30 per cent), Denmark (23 per cent) and France (20 per cent).

The lowest daily intake was found in Romania, where only 2 per cent of the population ate at least five portions of fruit and vegetables, followed by Bulgaria and Slovenia (both 5 per cent) and Austria (6 per cent).

Women’s daily intake of fruit and vegetables is higher than that of men: on average, 58 per cent of women reported eating one to four portions compared to 51 per cent for men. The same was true for a daily intake of 5 portions or more (15 per cent vs 10 per cent).

The survey also showed that more men than women reported skipping their fruit and vegetable intake altogether (39 per cent vs 27 per cent)