10 January 2003
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10 January 2003
WHO Campaign to boost Fruits and Vegetables Consumption
Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to prevent chronic diseases
has profound implications for global food production, says WHO
The 3rd Biennial 5 A Day International Symposium will bring health
professionals and industry representatives together next week to widen the
initiative to boost increased fruit and vegetable consumption. The
symposium will be held in Berlin, Germany, from January 14-15.
"Increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables is a necessary part of
the effort to reduce the growing global burden of chronic diseases," says
the World Health Organization's Dr Derek Yach, Executive Director,
Noncommunicable Diseases & Mental Health.
Chronic diseases now contribute 60 per cent of deaths and 49 per cent of
the global disease burden. And already, 79 per cent of these diseases -
which include cardiovascular diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancers
and obesity - are occurring in developing countries. This is largely a
result of a few major risk factors, including tobacco use and a
significant change in diet habits and increased physical inactivity. Such
changes are taking place in the context of increasing industrialization,
urbanization, economic development and food market globalization.
The World Health Report 2002, attributes at least 2.7 million deaths
globally per year to low fruit and vegetable intake. Evidence suggests
that there is insufficient consumption of these foods in most countries of
the world. As well as helping prevent chronic diseases, adequate fruit and
vegetable intake also improves nutritional deficiencies and increases
resistance to infectious diseases.
"The increasing burden of chronic diseases is one of the leading health
problems of our time, with significant implications for the future health
and prosperity of millions of people in both the developed, and
increasingly, the developing world," says WHO Director General, Dr Gro
Harlem Brundtland. "The 5 A Day programme is playing an important role in
working with the private sector to encourage greater consumption of fruit
and vegetables."
"We need to find ways to extend the 5 A Day concept globally, and
especially to tailor it to the conditions, cultures and distribution
systems of the developing world," says Dr Yach, who also leads the WHO's
process for a Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
"Boosting fruit and vegetable consumption is a simple message with
profound implications for global food production and distribution systems.
But we must ensure that public health needs remain the overall driver of
this, not delivery system bottlenecks."
The 5 A Day Symposium is being presented by the Produce for Better Health
Foundation (PBH), leaders in the United States' 5 A Day program, and the
German Cancer Society, in conjunction with the WHO. Co-sponsoring the
program is the European Commission and the Produce Marketing Association,
in addition to the National Cancer Institute, 5 A Day Association - Japan,
Welkrebsforchungsfond-DE (World Cancer Research Fund - Germany), and
California Walnut Commission. The symposium will be hosted by Fruit
Logistica/Messe Berlin and 5 am Tag Germany. The Produce for Better Health
Foundation is a non-profit organization, which chairs the National 5 A Day
Partnership, consisting of government agencies, non-profit organizations,
and industry working in collaboration to increase consumption of fruits
and vegetables for improved public health.
The symposium will highlight lessons learned from 5 A Day-type programmes
and examine ways to adapt the program appropriately to different national
realities in developing countries, in an effort to boost fruit and
vegetable consumption.
Leading speakers include Dr Carlos A. Monteiro, Professor of Nutrition at
the Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São
Paulo, Brazil; Dr Barry Popkin, Professor of Nutrition, School of Public
Health, University of North Carolina, U.S.; Marilyn Gentry, President of
the World Cancer Research Fund International, London, and WHO's Dr. Pekka
Puska, Director, Dept. of Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion.
Invited retailers include Tesco-UK; Royal Dutch Ahold-Netherlands;
REWE-Germany; and Wal-Mart, International.
"As the largest public/private nutrition education program in the United
States, 5 A Day has become a model for other nations to establish similar
programs in their countries," says PBH President Dr Elizabeth Pivonka.
"Public sector efforts help drive private sector action. Informed leaders
recognize that stressing the importance of fruits and vegetables in
combating the negative effects of an increasingly complex food environment
results in better policies that drive better nutrition among consumers.
All that helps drive consumer demand, which has the biggest effect on the
food industry's offerings of fruits and vegetables and ultimately on world
health. The 5 A Day International Symposium provides a forum for
information exchange among nations about how to generate this level of
change." -keralamonitor.com
