With fruits and vegetables, we cultivate a sustainable and healthy future.
As part of a strategic action that aims to give continuity to the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables celebrated in 2021, the 12th edition of World Fruit and Vegetable Day is celebrated this year 2024. This action seeks to make visible the complex realities with which the global food system is woven and shed light on a big question: why the inclusion of fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables continues to be a basic issue for the health of the world’s population.
World Fruit and Vegetable Day is an initiative of the Global Alliance for the Promotion of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption “5 a day” (AIAM5), which brings together 37 partners from 30 countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a consumption of at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables (5 servings) as part of a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables provide important and numerous health benefits. Thanks to its contribution of nutrients, phytochemicals, many of them antioxidants, its daily consumption has been associated with greater longevity and lower risk of non-communicable diseases such as some types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors, such as high blood pressure, as well as better mental health. In addition, they are a natural source of fiber so it is better to eat them whole and fresh, rather than blended or juiced. Fruits and vegetables provide satiety, so when we include them in meals, the feeling of well-being and satiety will last longer than when they are not included.
On the other hand, the choice of food we consume daily impacts the planet and we must ensure that this impact is as low as possible to achieve more sustainable food systems, in other words, that the planet is preserved over time; taking into consideration that the rational use of natural resources is essential for the production of healthy food. Natural and nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, cause a lower environmental impact than, for example, ultra-processed products that are highly available, accessible and affordable, and whose industrial production is a clear example of a negative impact on the health and sustainability of food systems.
If we analyze the decisions we make when we eat, when we choose to buy natural foods such as local fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets or community greengrocers, we strengthen small producers, with traditional and sustainable agricultural practices, on a small scale and where local resources are optimized and entire families are sustened with this line of work.
Otherwise, if we choose to consume ultra-processed products, we could be strengthening industries with large-scale production, where unsustainable production models are used based on monocultures and intensive livestock farming and the use of artificial ingredients that lower their cost and durability. In addition, if we consume food in excess and food waste continues to increase, food insecurity grows, affecting in one way or another, the entire chain of the country’s food system and eventually, the availability of natural resources necessary for food production for future generations.
In this framework, the Global Alliance for the Promotion of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption “5 a day” (AIAM5) launches the global campaign with the slogan “WITH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, WE GROW A SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY FUTURE”, which celebrates the 12th edition of World Fruit and Vegetable Day
With a calendar that extends over the month of October, it proposes a series of graphic pieces and complementary communication actions so that this issue takes place on the global agenda. Among these specific actions, the programming of messages in X is contemplated, with the use of a single hashtag coordinated at the same time for the whole world for publication in order to grow in trend. Website link sharing:
The commemoration of National and World Fruit and Vegetable Day aims to raise awareness about the nutritional health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption. On the other hand, it invites us to reflect on the need to adopt measures to increase the production, physical and economic access and consumption of fruits and vegetables to the population, promoting sustainable and healthy practices in order to contribute to the reduction of the high burden of morbidity and mortality of non-communicable diseases, to the guarantee of food and nutritional security and to the generation of economic benefits. in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
