Damning new government figures show consumption of fruit and veg for households in the UK has fallen sharply, with shoppers hit by the cost of living crisis and food inflation much less likely to hit their 5-a-day target.
The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC’s) National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), published today, shows less than a fifth (17%) of all adults met the recommendation. Children aged between 11 and 18 years old were bottom of the list, consuming on average only 2.8 portions per day.
The previous NDNS report showed that between 2016 and 2019, 33% of adults aged 19 to 64 years old and 12% of children aged 11 to 18 years old ate the recommended five portions of fruit and veg each day.
The number of children in that age bracket now meeting the target has dropped to less than one in 10, according to the latest figures which were collected between October 2019 and July 2023.
The report shows, on average, adults aged 19 to 64 years old consumed 3.3 portions of fruit and veg per day and people between 65 and 74 years old ate 3.7 portions per day, while the 75-plus age group had 3.6 portions per day.
The report says consumption for adults and older adults was lower than previously published figures, with data showing “evidence of a downward step-change between 2008 to 2019 and another slump from 2019 to 2023 for both the number of portions and the percentage achieving the 5-a-day target”.
While the changes could in part be explained by changes in dietary methodology, it also said the data ”may reflect a real reduction in fruit and vegetable consumption due to a combination of lack of availability during the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living pressures during this data collection period.”
It said other data sources, including the Defra Family Food 2023 report and the OHID’s 2025 report on changes in food and drink purchasing behaviour, also suggested households bought less fruit and vegetables during this period (OHID, 2025).
Five-a-day dietry data
Government experts recommend eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables per day. For people aged 11 years old and over, a portion is 80g, to give a minimum target of 400g per day. While children 10 years old and under are also recommended to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day, no portion size has been set.
Today’s report also reveals that while the proportion of people achieving the 5-a-day recommendation was low “regardless of income”, households with higher income were more likely to hit the target.
The largest increase in comparison was for men aged 65 to 74 years old, where the proportion meeting the recommendation increased by six percentage points for every £10,000 increase in income. For most age and gender groups, small increases in the proportion meeting the 5-a-day recommendation were seen with increasing household income.
The report’s authors admit they are unclear to what extent the findings were influenced by more modern methods of calculating the data for the NDNS, but say the slump in consumption was consistent with other data.
For the first 11 years of the system, covering 2008 to 2019, dietary data was collected over four consecutive days using a paper food diary with estimated portion weights.
However, from October 2019, it was modernised to include digital tools with a system called Intake24, which collected data over four non-consecutive days via a web-based automated self-administered tool day. Data collection using Intake24 began in October 2019.
“The evaluation period coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and then the period of cost of living pressures in the UK, both of which impacted diets due to changes in lifestyle, food availability and affordability,” adds the report.
“So, it has not been possible to definitively distinguish between differences in the data due to the method change and those that reflect real changes in diets.
“Some step-changes seen in the data were consistent with other data sources or reports, for example the downwards step-change for intakes of vegetables in adults is consistent with data on purchases of vegetables.”
Mandatory health reporting
Campaign groups said the findings were more proof that the government needed to bring in mandatory reporting on health for supermarkets and food manufacturers.
Last week The Grocer revealed Tesco was calling for the measures, saying that voluntary measures alone were not enough to tackle the obesity crisis.
“These new findings from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey are a stark reminder that the UK population is not getting the nutrition they need for good health, particularly children and those in low-income households,” said Sonia Pombo, head of research for Action on Salt.
“The persistently low intake of fruit, vegetables, and fibre, coupled with excessive consumption of free sugars and saturated fats, is setting the stage for serious public health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
“The report also exposes deep and persistent dietary inequalities, with people from more deprived communities less likely to meet nutrition recommendations.
“With nearly three-quarters of people now buying food and drink from the out-of-home sector each week, and ultra-processed products dominating both in and out of home, the government must introduce and enforce bold, evidence-based food and nutrition policies that improve access to affordable, nutritious food and curb unhealthy food marketing.
“Previous efforts to improve this voluntarily have clearly not worked, and therefore we need the government to learn from previous failures, and be bold and ambitious in their policymaking, including mandatory targets for sugar and salt reduction, with financial penalties on those who fail to comply.
“Strong, systemic action is urgently needed to shift diets, reduce health inequalities, and protect future generations from preventable disease.”
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