Buying Local Fruit and Veg Can Lead to a Healthier 2007

After overindulging over the Christmas break what better way to start the New Year than with a pledge to buy more local fresh fruit and vegetables to help lead a healthier life in 2007.

Health Minister Dr Brian Gibbons said that the many community food co-operatives in Communities First areas across Wales provide an affordable way for people to get their 'five-a-day' as well as helping local farmers and growers.

The community food co-operative programme, which was set up in 2004 to help improve the health of people in Wales, recently beat off stiff competition from more than 200 entrants from 35 countries to win a World Health Organisation award for its work in counteracting obesity.

Dr Gibbons said:

It is recommended that everyone eats at least five different portions of fruit and vegetables a day, but this is sometimes thought to be expensive. However, at the local community food co-operatives you can get a range of fruit, salad and vegetables at very reasonable prices, and by buying locally you can help a local farmer and reduce the amount of food miles.

Over 100 registered community food co-operatives have been started across Wales, supplying a range of fresh fruit and vegetables each week and much of the food on sale is produced by local farmers.

A typical 2 bag of vegetables, for example, contains cauliflower, swede, broccoli, 7 or 8 carrots, 6 onions and 2lb of potatoes. They also provide fruit and salad bags, and in some cases free-range eggs.

The New Year is an ideal time to consider what you are going to do to become healthier in 2007. Choosing to eat more fruit and vegetables will be a good start. Eating healthily is only part of a healthy lifestyle, but by making small changes to your lifestyle you can have a major positive impact on your health.

Just before Christmas, my colleague John Griffiths, the Deputy Health Minister, visited the 100th community food co-operative in Blackwood which involves children at local schools. This is so important as encouraging children to eat and live healthier when they are young will ensure they develop good habits for when they are older. And, of course, children can then encourage their parents to eat healthier foods and more of them, too.

I would encourage everyone to consider making that pledge today to eat more fruit and vegetables as part of their efforts to live a healthier lifestyle in 2007.