Just one piece of fruit and vegetables a day

Advice from the World Health Organisation recommends that everyone should eat 400g of fruit and vegetables a day – the equivalent of five portions – to lower the risk of health problems.

But a study commissioned by the Mayor’s Fund for London, a social mobility charity, has found that children from poorer households eat less fruit and vegetables than their peers, get fewer meals and skip breakfast more often.

The report highlighted the fact that 18 per cent of youngsters from households with an income of £10,000 or less have a maximum of one portion of fruit and vegetables per day. A quarter of their parents said that the five-a-day campaign was “unrealistic”.
Children in households with an income of £40,000 or less eat three portions of fruit or vegetables a day while those in wealthier households eat four portions a day.