A new report from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab suggests that 29.3 per cent of Canadians buy the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables
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Say what you will about 2021, but it’s been “relatively smooth sailing for produce,” says Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab (AAL). Unlike last year’s recall of U.S.-grown peaches and red onions, there have been no widespread food safety concerns. As many foods have gotten more expensive, prices for fruits and vegetables have dropped. Yet according to a new AAL report, only 29.3 per cent of Canadians buy enough to meet the recommended daily amount.
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The UN General Assembly designated 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, aiming to emphasize their role in nutrition, food security, health and sustainability. As the results of the AAL report suggest, though many Canadians recognize the benefits, meeting guidelines is a challenge.
“(This) should be one of the top priorities,” says Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe, co-author of the study and Killam Chair in Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals. “Everything is hidden because of COVID-19. But in terms of dollar values, we Canadians spend billions of dollars because of the problem of noncommunicable diseases.”
Canada’s Food Guide recommends filling half our plates with fruits and vegetables, which may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Cancer has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in Canada, Rupasinghe says. He was impressed that 47.6 per cent of the 10,006 Canadians surveyed this summer reported eating produce to reduce cancer risk, and 71.3 per cent for their microbiome and gut health.
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As a researcher, bioactives — a non-nutrient component of fruits and vegetables — are Rupasinghe’s specialty. Produce contains macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals needed in very small amounts). Bioactives “provide us health benefits beyond nutrients to reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer,” he says. “These things are present in our fruits and vegetables in very small amounts, but their impact is so big.”
Tomatoes contain the bioactive compound lycopene, for example; blueberries anthocyanin and salmon Omega-3 fatty acids. There are many other bioactives that the general public is largely unaware of, adds Rupasinghe: the report suggests that only 21.4 per cent of Canadians consider bioactives when purchasing produce. Awareness of “superfoods” (“super” due to their bioactives) is greater — 66 per cent — which may have more to do with food marketing strategies than education.
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“We have to take action to educate our public about these non-nutrient bioactives present in fruits and vegetables. And I’m proposing beginning from elementary school to medical schools that we should teach. We should change our current curricula to include what are those bioactives, and what are their health benefits?”
Rupasinghe emphasizes that this education is especially important in medical schools. Only 14.5 per cent of Canadians reported their doctor as a source influencing produce purchases. “The number one reason is doctors don’t know,” he says. “They are excellent at prescribing a drug when we are sick. But do they know how to prescribe fruits and vegetables to prevent type 2 diabetes or heart disease?”
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Canadians identified food/cooking websites (39 per cent), nutritionists (25.3 per cent), Canada’s Food Guide (20.8 per cent) and cookbooks (20.2 per cent) as top information sources; celebrities were at the bottom of the pack (1.1 per cent).
When it comes to the food guide, the report suggests that though Canadians look to it for guidance, for the most part, they aren’t able to heed its advice. One in seven Canadians is experiencing food insecurity during COVID-19, according to Community Food Centres Canada. Respondents identified price as the primary barrier to eating more produce (39.5 per cent); even though the cost of fruits and vegetables has dropped as other foods (such as bakery items, beef and pork) continue to climb.
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In second place was effort: 30.5 per cent of Canadians said that produce takes too much work to prepare. “A lot of people are on the go, they’re pressed for time. And so they may actually see the produce aisle as being more work,” says Charlebois.
For people lacking knife skills, the slicing and dicing needed to prepare produce can be daunting, says Toronto-based registered dietitian Amanda Li, who was not involved in the study. Packaged salads and vegetables can help people boost their produce intake with less effort, but they often come at increased cost.
“So many people spend their time watching (food videos). But they don’t necessarily execute it in their own kitchen,” says Li. Whether you enjoy cooking or not often comes down to skills, she adds: “How to actually cut stuff properly so you’re not scared of the knife. Or how to slice stuff so it’s quick, and you’re not standing there being so careful with every single stroke.”
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The frozen aisle can actually allow consumers to buy time, and the technologies have come a long way in recent years.
Buying frozen produce could help address the top two barriers preventing Canadians from eating more fruits and vegetables. It’s often pre-cut, eliminating the need for prep, and less expensive than fresh. Li recommends frozen items to her clients for ease — “even when you’re busy, you can just nuke it in the microwave if you need to, and boom, you have a plate of vegetables ready to go” — as well as a way to reduce food waste.
Frozen produce has the same nutritional value as fresh, says Rupasinghe, and it allows for greater variety during the colder months. But the majority of Canadians expressed a strong preference for fresh over frozen: 64.9 per cent exclusively buy the former. “There is that dilemma,” says Charlebois. “The frozen aisle can actually allow consumers to buy time, and the technologies have come a long way in recent years.”
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British Columbians (31.4 per cent) and Ontarians (31 per cent) are the nation’s biggest produce lovers; Prince Edward Islanders and Newfoundlanders had the lowest rates (11.6 and 19.7 per cent respectively). P.E.I. stands out, Charlebois says: respondents showed the highest preference for locally grown produce (39.5 per cent), but the lowest rate of eating the recommended daily amount (11.6 per cent). The four Atlantic provinces in general are “produce deficient,” he adds.
Coming on the heels of Health Canada pausing a proposed increase to the amount of the herbicide glyphosate allowed on crops, the report suggests that Canadians are concerned about pesticide residue on produce: 63.4 per cent are worried about it on fruits and vegetables in the grocery store; 47.2 per cent about farmers’ market produce.
Charlebois believes these concerns may lead to more people buying organic and affect how they clean their produce. Canada’s food safety system is among the world’s best, Rupasinghe adds: “The damage somebody could have from a small amount of pesticide residue is negligible compared to the benefits that you get from consuming fruits and vegetables.”
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Canadians know they should eat their vegetables, but only 29 per cent manage to get enough - National Post
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