WHO better to push fruit and vegetables?

22 June

WHO better to push fruit and vegetables into the limelight??

Last month's approval of the WHO's Global Strategy on diet, physical activity and health thrust fruit and vegetables onto the international stage and into the limelight.

By endorsing increased fruit and vegetable consumption, the world's leading health organization has created unlimited opportunity for expansion of fruit and vegetable promotion programmes like 5 A Day. Internationally this is already being seen as a major health coupe.

President of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, Elizabeth Pivonka cites it as being the most significant public health policy development in decades, a statement that is strongly backed here by 5 + A Day General Manager, Paula Dudley.

"This undoubtedly will be at the forefront of discussion and planning at the International 5 A Day symposium being held in Christchurch in August.

"This conference will provide the opportunity for those leading fruit and vegetable initiatives throughout the world to continue to find better ways in which to turn this strategy into action," says Ms Paula Dudley, General Manager of 5+ A Day in New Zealand.

It also provides New Zealanders with the opportunity to ensure its role at the forefront of this health initiative. Listed in the Government's Healthy Eating-Healthy Action as a strong priority, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is seen as having a potentially noticeable impact on health outcomes here at home.

"With the increase in obesity and overweight, fruit and vegetables are seen as a way in which to reduce the energy density of the diet whilst increasing intake of health providing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants," states Prof Cliff Tasman-Jones, Medical and Scientific Director of the NZ Nutrition Foundation. "Current research indicates that the wider the variety and colour choice the more the health benefits."

It's this idea of variety based on colour which is being incorporated into the 5+ A Day The Colour Way message, encouraging New Zealanders to not only eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables but to also have as many different colours in a meal as possible.

New Zealand is blessed with the capability of growing such a huge diversity of fruit and vegetables that we are in a wonderful position to lead the world as health conscious consumers of fruit and vegetables.

ENDS

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