An influential health initiative to encourage people to eat five plus servings of fresh fruit and vegetables daily is celebrating 30 years of success in Aotearoa and 20 years of supporting Fruit in Schools.

Fruit in Schools supports 46 schools in the Bay of Plenty region.

5+ A Day was launched to consumers in 1994 to encourage New Zealanders to eat more fresh produce for good health.

The message was subsequently rolled out to schools and early childhood education centres, and now a generation of tamariki has grown up learning about healthy eating habits using 5+ A Day resources.

5+ A Day also supports the government-funded Fruit in Schools initiative which is celebrating its own 20 year milestone in 2024.

Fruit in Schools currently provides fresh produce daily for over 126,000 tamariki and staff at 566 schools nationwide, allowing them to try over two dozen varieties of fruit and vegetables during the school year.

This equates to 27 million servings of fresh fruit and vegetables provided annually to help nourish minds and bodies.

Dame Lisa Carrington will help mark both milestones at a special event at Papatoetoe East School.

As a 5+ A Day Partner, she knows just how vital fresh fruit and vegetables are to overall health and performance.

Fruit in schools. Photo supplied.

“I’m proud to partner with 5+ A Day to promote kai that can transform lives, and it’s fantastic to be celebrating with this kura,” Carrington said.

“Eating 5+ A Day is key to helping maintain long-term health.

"It is a huge milestone for the organisation, whose simple message of eating 5+ A Day is now ingrained in generations of New Zealanders, enriching their hauora.”

The 5+ A Day concept originated in California in the 1980s and over 30 countries now actively promote it. 

NeilsenIQ research undertaken last year show 82 per cent of Kiwis are now aware of the 5+ A Day healthy eating message.

United Fresh (who represents New Zealand’s pan produce industry), set up the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust in 2007 to continue working with schools, early childhood education and online to boost fresh fruit and vegetable consumption in all New Zealanders.

5+ A Day Trustee and Principal Scientist and Team Leader at Plant and Food Research, Dr Carolyn Lister, says eating 5+ A Day each day to help maintain good health is a simple message but one which requires ongoing encouragement and education to ensure New Zealanders of all ages understand the importance of healthy eating.

“We’re fortunate to live in a country where fresh, delicious, seasonal produce is always available and the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust is proving to be an effective way to help increase consumption.

“But there is still plenty of work to be done. Latest research shows only 40 per cent of the general population do, in fact, eat five or more servings a day – despite twice that number knowing that they should. So we need to continue this important mahi.”

The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust would like to thank those who support their work including the fresh fruit and vegetable value chain, teachers and tamariki in schools, health professionals, non-government partners and 5+ A Day partners.

“Together we are making a tangible difference to the health of our nation, and we are excited to celebrate 30 years of promoting fresh fruit and vegetable consumption through 5+ A Day.”