Health authorities across Europe recommend five portions of fruit or vegetables a day as part of a balanced diet.
However, in 2023, Europeans consumed an average of 351 grams of fruit and vegetables per person per day – falling short of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended 400 grams.
That gap has prompted renewed interest in whether alternative forms of fruit intake could help. The reasons behind this underconsumption are varied, from high costs of the produce to the inconvenience of rapid spoilage.
Aiming to address this shortfall and boost fruit consumption, researchers from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom conducted a study to assess whether a fruit juice or a smoothie could count as one of the five daily portions.
Healthy food comes with a budget
