Inadequate fruit and/or vegetable intake

In 2017–18, most Australians aged 2 and over (95%) failed to meet the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines for adequate fruit and vegetable intake, based on self-reported data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) National Health Survey (NHS). The proportion of Australians meeting the guidelines for adequate fruit and/or vegetable intake was similar across age groups (Figure 1).

The age-standardised proportion of Australians with inadequate fruit and/or vegetable intake:

  • was significantly higher for males than females (97% and 93%, respectively)
  • remained unchanged between 2014–15 and 2017–18 (AIHW analysis of ABS 2016 and ABS 2019a).

The 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend a minimum number of daily serves of fruit (1–2 for children and 2 for adults) and vegetables (2.5–5.5 for children; 5–6 or more for men depending on age and 5 or more for women) (NHMRC 2013). For more information on the dietary guidelines for different age groups, see the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Figure 1: Inadequate fruit and/or vegetable consumption, by age (2+) and sex, 2017–18

The bar chart shows the proportion of Australians aged 2 and over with inadequate fruit and/or vegetable intake, by age and sex in 2017–18. The proportion of Australians with inadequate fruit and/or vegetable intake was significantly higher for males than females (97% and 93%, respectively) and remained unchanged between 2014–15 and 2017–18.

Variation between population groups

After adjusting for different population age structures, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption:

  • was slightly higher in the lowest socioeconomic areas compared with the highest socioeconomic areas 
  • was similar for all remoteness areas
  • was slightly higher among Indigenous Australians compared with non-Indigenous Australians, based on estimates from the 2017–18 NHS and 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Inadequate fruit and/or vegetable consumption, 2+ year olds, by selected population groups, 2017–18

The bar chart shows the proportion of Australians aged 2 and over with inadequate fruit and/or vegetable intake, by selected population groups in 2017–18. The proportion of Australians with inadequate fruit and/or vegetable intake was slightly higher in the lowest socioeconomic areas, was similar for all remoteness areas and was slightly higher among Indigenous Australians.