Consumers know that consuming fruits and vegetables is important, but nearly half believe they do not consume enough, according to the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), Hockessin, Del. Although the PBH’s survey found that primary shoppers believe they consumed more fruits and vegetables in 2014 than in 2012, roughly one in three eat less than a cup of fruits and less than a cup of vegetables each day. In addition, one in four shoppers think consuming fruits and vegetables is a chore.
Beverages tend to be a convenient vehicle for consumption of many types of fortified ingredients, experts note, but 11% of shoppers do not believe that 100% fruit juices and 100% vegetable juices are healthy, according to the PBH’s 2014 report “Primary Shoppers’ Attitudes and Beliefs Related to Fruit & Vegetable Consumption: 2012 vs 2014.” Although 65% of primary shoppers agree that 100% fruit juices and 100% vegetable juices are healthy, this number is down from 79% in 2012, it reported.