NZ first to celebrate World Fruit and Vegetables Day

15th October 2015
For immediate release

New Zealand first to celebrate World Fruit and Vegetables Day

New Zealand will be the first country to celebrate World Fruit and Vegetables Day, an international initiative to raise awareness of the importance of eating fruit and vegetables for better health.

New Zealand’s leader in this field, 5+ A Day, will join 19 other countries on Friday 16th October, in encouraging people to add an extra serving of fresh fruit or vegetables to their day. The day also coincides with World Nutrition Day.

Paula Dudley, General Manager of 5+ A Day says, boosting fruit and vegetable consumption can help address global epidemics of obesity and non-communicable diseases.

“Cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are responsible for 60 percent of deaths worldwide, and obesity causes 2.8 million deaths each year,” she says. “These figures could be reduced by people adopting healthy eating habits, including eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables each day.”

The evidence for the positive effect of fresh fruit and vegetables on health is irrefutable, says Paula.

“It is a simple step that individuals can make to improve their health and one that governments throughout the world should promote through health policy.”

Fresh produce provides children with the essential nutrients that can have far-reaching health benefits, says Paula.

“As we celebrate World Fruit and Vegetables Day, we can take pride in knowing our Fruit In Schools and 5+ A Day programmes promote the health benefits of fresh fruit and vegetables to Kiwis year-round.”

ENDS

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