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Global Vegetable Intake and Supply Compared to Recommendations: A Systematic Review.
Aliki Kalmpourtzidou1, Ans Eilander2, Elise F Talsma1
1Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, PO Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, Gelderland, The Netherlands.
Nutrients
|May 31, 2020
Summary
Global vegetable consumption, excluding legumes and potatoes, is critically low, with 88% of countries falling below recommended daily intake. This highlights an urgent need for public health initiatives and improved food systems to boost vegetable intake worldwide.
Area of Science:
- Public Health Nutrition
- Global Food Security
- Dietary Epidemiology
Background:
- Low vegetable intake is a significant risk factor for noncommunicable diseases globally.
- Comprehensive data on global vegetable consumption, excluding legumes and potatoes, is limited.
- Existing vegetable intake data requires comparison against established dietary guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and assess global vegetable consumption and supply in adult populations.
- To compare current vegetable intake against the World Health Organization's recommendation of ≥240 g/day.
- To identify regions with insufficient vegetable supply and intake.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
- Searched government, health authority websites, EFSA, STEPS, and PubMed/Medline for vegetable intake data (March 2018-June 2019).
- Extracted vegetable supply data from FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets (2013).
Main Results:
- Data on vegetable intake and supply were available for 162 and 136 countries, respectively.
- Weighted mean vegetable intake was 186 g/day, significantly below the recommended 240 g/day.
- 88% of countries reported vegetable intake below recommended levels; 61% had insufficient vegetable supply.
Conclusions:
- Global vegetable intake is insufficient to meet public health recommendations, increasing noncommunicable disease risk.
- Urgent public health campaigns are needed to promote vegetable consumption worldwide.
- Innovative food system strategies are imperative to enhance vegetable production and reduce losses in under-supplied regions.
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