A new report from independent market analyst Datamonitor reveals that consumers in the UK are eating more fresh fruits and vegetables to meet their 'five a day' target.  Between 2002 and 2007, the annual consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in the UK increased from 93kg per person in 2002 to 113kg in 2007, and Datamonitor forecasts this will increase to 123kg in 2012.  However, Datamonitor research shows that the emergence of so-called 'superfruits' could be having an adverse effect.  Indeed, false assumptions about their nutritional value may prevent consumers from fulfilling their fruit and vegetables quotas.

'Daily dosing' is gaining appeal

The quantifiable nature of the “five a day” target has been extremely effective in breaking consumption down into an attainable goal. The emphasis now placed on fruit and vegetable consumption as a quantitative target has resulted in consumers looking to quickly ‘dose’ themselves, much like the ingestion of a daily medicine. “This dosing allows consumers to feel satisfied that they are boosting their health without being inconvenienced by spending large amounts of time planning and preparing nutritious meals,” comments Mark Whalley, Consumer Markets Analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report.

Consumption of fruit and vegetables varies by country, sometimes by a great deal – those countries with low consumption such as the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK are beginning to ‘catch up’.

Those with a higher consumption are forecast to see a tapering off as consumers cannot (or do not feel inclined to) raise the amount of fruit and vegetables in their diets any further.

Manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon

Manufacturers have capitalised on this trend by incorporating more fruits and vegetables into their products, and advertising these goods with healthy messaging. As product innovations have become more varied and imaginative, incorporating superfruits such as acai and goji berries has had a widespread impact on the entire industry. Famed for having high levels of nutrients and anti-oxidants, superfruits have become a much-desired addition to consumers’ diets. “Consumers have responded enthusiastically to the idea that these fruits provide them with an enormous health boost,” comments Whalley, “to the extent that the consumption of other fruits and vegetables is suffering.”

Though the popularity of superfruits and growing number of innovative products which feature them as ingredients gives consumers extra options in making their fruit and vegetable quota, people must be aware that they are not a “quick-fix” solution to a worldwide epidemic of under-consumption.  Datamonitor believes that overlooking more traditional, “ordinary” alternatives like apples purely in favour of superfruits will prove detrimental to overall consumption, and ironically begin to undo the positive effects that fruit and vegetable targets have had in the UK.