Background:
Chile’s 5-A-DAY program is a non-profit corporation, formed in 2006 with the Institute of Nutrition
and Food Technology, University of Chile, that brings together producers, distributors, retailers,
and exporters of F&V and universities, with the support of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health,
Education, and Social Development as well as FAO, OPS/OMS, and PNUD. The consumption of
F&V in Chile is low, at 178 grams per person per day. (**)
(**) National Health Survey, 2009
Description:
The 5-A-Day Chile program activities:
1. Mass Media – TV, radio, social networking, newspapers, magazines, and a webpage to spread
the program’s message
2. Points of purchase – health initiatives at supermarkets, open markets, and food suppliers
3. Community – development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions in the workplace,
schools, and community organizations
4. Research – evaluation of interventions; impact on knowledge and behavior of consumers as
well as population-level evaluation of FV consumption
Since 2013, 5-A-DAY Chile has implemented a school-based program called Colación BKN
“Cool Snack”. The objectives of the program are to help reach the 2011 – 2020 health goals of
the country, increase the consumption of fruits, improve nutritional knowledge and behavior of
the school community, increase the availability of fruits, and develop an intervention that can
prevent overweight and obesity in children. Today, the program is delivering
fruit as a snack to 3,400 children ages 4 to 15 as well as the school community
in 12 rural and vulnerable schools.
Results:
In 2013 (March – December), the rise in obesity prevalence (24%) was halted in
the intervention schools as the national prevalence continued to rise.
The program has also been successful in that it increased the consumption of
fruit and improved knowledge of healthy eating habits of students.