Global Vegetable Intake and Supply Compared to Recommendations: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Low vegetable intake is associated with higher incidence of noncommunicable diseases. Data on global vegetable intake excluding legumes and potatoes is currently lacking. A systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted to assess vegetable consumption and supply in adult populations and to compare these data to the existing recommendations (≥240 g/day according to World Health Organization). For vegetable intake data online, websites of government institutions and health authorities, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database, STEPwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) and Pubmed/Medline databases were searched from March 2018 to June 2019. Vegetable supply data was extracted from Food Balance Sheets, Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), 2013. Vegetable intake was expressed as means and 95% confidence intervals. Data were summarized for each region by calculating weighted means. Vegetable intake and supply data were available for 162 and 136 countries, respectively. Weighted mean vegetable intake was 186 g/day (56–349 g/day). Weighted mean vegetable supply was 431 g/day (71–882 g/day). For 88% of the countries vegetable intake was below the recommendations. Public health campaigns are required to encourage vegetable consumption worldwide. In the 61% of the countries where vegetable supply is currently insufficient to meet the recommendations, innovative food system approaches to improve yields and decrease post-harvest losses are imperative.

Twenty-year trends in vegetable consumption by preparation method and eating location for Korean population from 1998 to 2017

“…However, the decrease from 289.1 g to 270.3 g per day in Korea is still greater in this research than the ≥240 g per day estimated globally (18) .…”

Africa’s evolving vegetable seed sector: status, policy options and lessons from Asia

“…In sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, vegetable consumption was less than 100 g per capita per day across 73% of the countries, compared with only 38% of Asian countries. This contrasts starkly with the recommendation of 240 g daily consumption made in the dietary guidelines of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization (Kalmpourtzidou et al 2020) and a recommendation of 300 g/day by the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health (Willett et al 2019). In fact, per capita vegetable consumption in Africa is the lowest of all regions in the world (Afshin et al 2019;Kalmpourtzidou et al 2020).…”

Gender equity and reduction of post-harvest losses in agricultural value chains

“…However, about one quarter of the population suffers from food insecurity, 70% of children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia do not consume a diet of minimum diversity, and about 46% of them are deficient in Vitamin A (2,3). At present, vegetable intake is below recommended levels in 88% of countries (4). Diets low in fruits, nuts and seeds, or vegetables are among the main dietary risks that contribute to the global burden of disease, and it is estimated that improving dietary quality could prevent more than 11 million premature deaths, about 24% of total deaths in 2017 (5).…”