75% of Koreans Aged 6 and Over Have Insufficient Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Younger and Low-Income Groups Eat Less
Consumption Continues to Decline Every Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyun-jung] It has been revealed that only one in four South Koreans consume the recommended daily amount of 500g or more of fruits and vegetables.

Photo by Moon Honam

According to the "2021 National Health Statistics" released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 23rd, the proportion of people aged 6 and older who consume the recommended daily amount of 500g or more of fruits and vegetables was 25.5% in the 2021 National Health and Nutrition Survey. Even when limited to adults aged 19 and older, only 28.1% consumed fruits and vegetables above the recommended amount. Among men, 27.9% consumed sufficient fruits and vegetables, which was higher than women at 23.0%.

The proportion of people consuming 500g or more of fruits and vegetables daily in the National Health and Nutrition Survey slightly increased from 37.8% in 2010 to 38.6% in 2015, but then continuously declined to 33.1% in 2016, 28.1% in 2019, and 26.2% in 2020.

The intake of fruits and vegetables was also related to age and income level. Middle-aged and older adults in their 50s and 60s met the daily recommended amount at rates of 44.2% and 45.3%, respectively, indicating that they consume relatively sufficient fruits and vegetables compared to other age groups. In contrast, the rates were extremely low among children, adolescents, and young adults: 12.5% for ages 6?9, 15.4% for ages 10?18, and 12.5% for ages 19?29, with all age groups between 6 and 29 recording rates in the 10% range.

Additionally, among the low-income group, the proportion meeting the daily intake was 22.9%, whereas it was 29.0% in the high-income group, showing that fruit and vegetable consumption increases as income level rises.

The average amount of fruits and vegetables consumed by Koreans has also been decreasing year by year. In the 2012 survey conducted ten years ago, the daily vegetable intake for Koreans aged 1 and older was 283.9g, and fruit intake was 172.3g. By 2021, vegetable intake had decreased by about 12% to 248.8g, while fruit intake dropped much more significantly to 116g, a decrease of nearly 33%.