A balanced diet, including sufficient fruit and vegetables, reduces a person's risk of developing conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. The 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend a minimum number of serves of fruit and vegetables each day, depending on a person's age and sex, to ensure good nutrition and health[1]. More information about the guidelines is available in the Glossary.
Key findings
- In 2017-18, just over half (51.3%) of Australians aged 18 years and over met the guidelines for the recommended daily serves of fruit (2 or more serves).
- One in thirteen (7.5%) adults met the guidelines for serves of vegetables (5-6 or more serves for men depending on age, and 5 or more for women).
- Only one in twenty (5.4%) adults met both the fruit and the vegetable recommendations. These rates have remained fairly consistent over time.
- One in seventeen (6.0%) children aged 2-17 years met the guidelines for the recommended number of serves of both fruit and vegetables in 2017-18. Over seven in ten (73.0%) children ate the recommended serves of fruit, an increase from 2014-15 (70.1%)
2013 NHMRC Australian dietary guidelines
| Recommended serves per day | Age group (years) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14-18 | 19-50 | 51-70 | 70 years and over | ||
| Fruit | |||||
| Males | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Females | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Vegetables | |||||
| Males | 5.5(a) | 6 | 5.5(a) | 5 | |
| Females | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
a. Rounded up to 6 serves in published data.
In 2017-18, just over half (51.3%) of Australians aged 18 years and over met the guidelines for the recommended daily serves of fruit (2 or more serves), while one in thirteen (7.5%) met the guidelines for serves of vegetables (5-6 or more serves for men depending on age, and 5 or more for women). Only one in twenty (5.4%) adults met both guidelines. These rates have remained fairly consistent over time.
Women were more likely to meet the guidelines than men. In 2017-18, more than half (55.8%) of women met the fruit guidelines, compared with 46.6% of men. For women 10.9% met the vegetable guidelines and 7.7% met both guidelines, compared with 4.1% and 3.0% for men respectively. In general, older people were more likely to meet the guidelines than younger people. Of people aged 65-74 years, 8.3% met both the fruit and vegetable intake guidelines, compared with only 3.6% of 18-24 year olds.
In 2017-18, adults aged 18 years and over living in Inner Regional and Outer Regional and Remote areas of Australia were more likely to meet vegetable guidelines than those living in Major Cities (9.5% and 8.9% compared with 6.9% respectively). The proportion of adults aged 18 years and over who met the fruit guidelines was similar across areas, with around half meeting recommendations.
Although women were more likely than men to meet the guidelines for the consumption of fruits and vegetables, their average consumption was similar. On average, men aged 18 years and over usually consume 1.7 serves of fruit and 2.3 serves of vegetables each day. Women of the same age usually consume an average of 1.8 serves of fruit and 2.5 serves of vegetables.
While the proportion of adults aged 18 years and over who met the vegetable guidelines was low, around 42.0% usually consume three or more serves of vegetables.