33% of Europeans do not eat fruit or vegetables on a daily basis

In 2019, 1 in 3 people (33%) in the EU reported not consuming any fruit or vegetables daily and only 12% of the population consumed the recommended 5 portions or more daily. On average, over half of the EU population (55%) said they ate between 1 and 4 portions of fruit and vegetables daily.

Among the EU Member States, the highest daily intake of 5 portions or more was reported in Ireland (33% of the population), the Netherlands (30%), Denmark (23%) and France (20%). The lowest daily intake was found in Romania, where only 2% of the population ate at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, followed by Bulgaria and Slovenia (both 5%) and Austria (6%).

Women’s daily intake of fruit and vegetables is higher than that of men: on average, 58% of women reported eating 1 to 4 portions compared to 51% for men. The same was true for a daily intake of 5 portions or more (15% vs 10%). The survey also showed that more men than women reported skipping their fruit and vegetable intake altogether (39% vs 27%).

Ec.europa.eu