FRUIT

Fruits, like vegetables, are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, and dietary patterns including daily fruit consumption can help prevent chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.¹ Other health benefits associated with consuming fruits include a reduced risk of obesity and weight gain.¹

Fruits in the form of fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juices are all suitable foods to be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet.¹

	How much is a serve of fruit? A standard serve is about 150 g (350 kJ) or: 1 medium apple, banana, pear or orange 2 small apricots, kiwi fruits or plums 1 cup diced or canned fruit (no added sugar) Or only occasionally: ½ cup fruit juice (no added sugar) 30 g dried fruit Source: National Health and Medical Research Counci1

CONSUMPTION OF FRUIT

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 2 years and over consumed an average of 1.2 serves of fruit per day in 2012-13. Children and teenagers aged 2-18 years consumed a greater amount than adults, with an average 1.6 serves per day compared with 1.0 serve among adults aged 19 years and over. The amount of serves consumed was similar between males and females of most age groups, although females aged 51-70 years consumed a greater number of serves on average than their male counterparts, with 1.1 serves compared with 0.7 serves.

(a) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
(b) Based on Day 1. See Glossary for definition.
(c) From non-discretionary sources.
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2012-13.

On average, children aged 2-8 years ate more fruit than the minimum daily recommended by the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG), with 1.2 serves and 1.6 serves for 2-3 year olds and 4-8 year olds respectively.²

Fruit: Recommended number of serves per day and average serves consumed

Age group (years)	Recommended minimum(a)		Average(b)
	Serves		Serves
	Males	Females	Males	Females
2-3	1	1	1.3	1.2
4-8	1½	1½	1.6	1.6
9-11	2	2	1.6	1.3
12-13	2	2	1.4	1.8
14-18	2	2*	2.0	1.4
19-50	2	2*	1.2	0.8
51-70	2	2	0.7	1.1
71+	2	2	..	..
Total(c)	..	..	1.3	1.1

(a) National Health and Medical Research Council, 2013, Australian Dietary Guidelines, https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/n55_australian_dietary_guidelines_130530.pdf
(b) Daily average consumed from non-discretionary sources
(c) Includes persons aged 71 years and over
.. Not available
*For pregnant and breastfeeding women of all ages, the Guidelines recommend 2 serves of fruit per day.
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2012-13


FORMS OF FRUIT

Fresh or canned fruit made up the greatest proportion of the fruit consumed at 62%. Around one-third (34%) came from fruit juice with the remainder (3.7%) from dried fruit.

(a) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
(b) Based on Day 1. See Glossary for definition.
(c) From non-discretionary sources.
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2012-13.

BY REMOTENESS

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in non-remote areas consumed a greater number of serves of fruit than those in remote areas (1.3 serves compared with 0.9 serves).


COMPARED WITH NON-INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people consumed fewer serves of fruit on average than non-Indigenous people (1.2 serves in comparison with 1.5 serves). Of the fruit serves consumed, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people derived a greater share from fruit juice compared with non-Indigenous people (34% and 27% respectively).

(a) Based on Day 1. See Glossary for definition.
(b) From non-discretionary sources.
Sources: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2012-13 and the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2011-12.

FRUIT FROM DISCRETIONARY SOURCES

The ‘fruit’ food group in the ADG excludes all discretionary sources. For this reason, the above analysis also excludes discretionary foods which contain fruit. However if discretionary sources of fruit were accounted for, they would account for an extra 0.2 serves across the population, lifting the average intake by 0.2 serves from 1.2 to 1.4 serves. Children aged 2-18 years consumed an extra 0.25 serves from discretionary sources, making up a 16% increase in fruit consumed.

(a) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
(b) Based on Day 1. See Glossary for definition.
Source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2012-13.

Of discretionary sources of fruit consumed, the vast majority (83%) came from Non-alcoholic beverages, made up by fruit drinks (58%), cordials (20%) and soft drinks (4.6%). The other large contributor of discretionary fruit was cereal based products and dishes (9.2%), with cakes, muffins, scones and cake-type desserts being the major contributor (5.6%)


ENDNOTES

1. National Health and Medical Research Council, 2013, Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: Australian Government. <https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/n55_australian_dietary_guidelines_130530.pdf >, Last accessed 27/10/2016

2. Although the average number of serves for children aged 2-3 years and 4-8 years was greater than minimum recommended, this should not be interpreted as all (or even most) children this age had an adequate level of consumption. This is because the average cannot indicate the proportion of the population who had a usual intake above or below the recommendation. See Explanatory Note 5.