The UK Government must sort out widespread inaccuracies of 5 a day claims which abuse consumer trust, says the Fresh Produce Consortium. The legitimate 5 a day logo managed by the Department of Health is an essential tool to guide consumers towards making healthy food choices; however, there are too many examples of assertions made on highly processed and composite products which are not part of the authorised scheme. The recent Channel 4 Dispatches programme highlighted many of the ridiculous declarations made by processors and the Government’s failure to stop unscrupulous hijacking of the 5 a day message.
“It’s time the UK Government sorted out this confusion. 5 a day must return to its core principles, based around the convenience of eating fresh fruit and vegetables, to avoid misleading the public about the nutritional content of their food basket,” said Nigel Jenney, Chief Executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium. “The Government must do more to encourage people to enjoy the benefits of affordable fresh fruit and vegetables.”
According to research by Oxford University around 33,000 lives a year could be saved if everyone in the UK followed dietary guidelines. The industry’s Eat In Colour website – www.eatincolour.com – gives lots of advice and tips for including a range of fresh fruit and vegetables for healthy mealtimes.
