Italians Falling Short on Fruit & Veggieโ Intake, Frozen Options Offer Solution
Rome, Italy -โ A concerningโ trend is emerging in Italy: daily fruit and vegetable consumption has plummeted from 94% in 2004โค too 78.2% in 2024, โraisingโ health concerns as the nation struggles to meet recommended dietary guidelines. While the World Health Association (WHO) advises five daily portions, a mere 7% of italians currently adhere to this recommendation,โฃ hampered by busy lifestyles, food waste, and increasingโ costs.
The โฃdecline comes as the Italian Institute of Frozen Food (Iias) reports a surge โคin frozen vegetable popularity,โฃ with over 300,000 tonnes consumed in 2024 – a โgrowth of +1.9%. โฃPreliminary data from the first nine months of 2025 indicates continued growth, showing a +0.4%โ increase in retail volume compared to โฃthe sameโ period last year.
“Vegetables are the โขbasis of the Mediterranean diet,considered the healthiest and most balanced lifestyle โฃworldwide,” explains Giorgio donegani,President of Iias.”In Italy, they have always been central toโ our cuisine, even in the form of a simple side dish – a habit synonymous with health.”
Research fromโ the ‘Sorveglianza โPassi dell’ISS’โข study underscores the importance of this habit, suggesting that regular fruit andโ vegetable consumption could prevent over 135,000 deaths, one-third of coronary diseases, and โฃ11% of strokes. This is due to the low calorie count and high nutrient density of vegetables, packed with vitamins, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants that bolster the immune system โขand reduce the risk of chronicโ illnesses.
Frozen vegetables are being positioned as a key solutionโ to bridging the gap between dietary recommendations and reality. Donegani notes that frozen options “represent a great ally and allow us to keep alive the Italian tradition of sideโฃ dishes, made up โขof simple, tasty and genuine dishes. Moreover, frozen products allow โusโ toโค guarantee variety, balance and nutritional quality in every season, even when the availability of fresh products is more tough.”
Beyond health benefits, cost savings are also a factor.Fresh green beans,such โas,can cost 53%โ more than their โฃfrozen counterparts,largely โdue to food waste and readinessโ time. Interestingly, consumer preference surveys indicate that frozenโค vegetables are often preferred over fresh, especially in dishes like โminestrone and green beans.
(Reproduction reserved ยฉ Copyright ANSA)