Fruit and vegetables make an important contribution to health, partly due to the composition of phytonutrients, such as carotenoids and polyphenols. The aim of the present study was to quantify the intake of fruit and vegetables across different European countries using food consumption data of increasing complexity: food balance sheets (FBS); the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Comprehensive Database; individual food consumption data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Across Europe, the average consumption of fruit and vegetables ranged from 192 to 824 g/d (FBS data). Based on EFSA data, nine out of fourteen countries consumed < 400 g/d (recommended by the WHO), although even in the highest-consuming countries such as Spain, 36 % did not reach the target intake. In the UK, the average consumption of fruit and vegetables was 310 g/d (NDNS data). Generally, phytonutrient intake increased in accordance with fruit and vegetable intake across all European countries with the exception of lycopene (from tomatoes), which appeared to be higher in some countries that consumed less fruit and vegetables. There were little differences in the average intake of flavanols, flavonols and lycopene in those who did or did not meet the 400 g/d recommendation in the UK. However, average intakes of carotenoid, flavanone, anthocyanidin and ellagic acid were higher in those who consumed >400 g/d of fruit and vegetables compared with those who did not. Overall, intakes of phytonutrients are highly variable, suggesting that while some individuals obtain healthful amounts, there may be others who do not gain all the potential benefits associated with phytonutrients in the diet.
Foods can have nutrients added to restore those lost during preparation, to allow for substitution by different foods (for example the low level fortification of table margarine with vitamins A and D to replace these vitamins which are normally in butter but not in unfortified margarine), or to provide enriched foods. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of the total food consumed that is fortified in selected European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK). The data on per capita consumption of 44 food and drink categories was collated from commercial sources and surveys in France and the UK. The percentage of each food category which is fortified has been estimated. Data indicate that overall about 75% of food and drink consumed in European diets is rarely or never fortified. Fortified foods rarely contribute more than 3% of the total diet on a per capita basis, an exception being in countries where it is mandatory to fortify staple food ( e.g. as in the case of flour in the UK). High level consumers of fortified foods are unlikely to obtain more than 10% of their diet in a fortified form.
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