Fewer than a quarter of Britons are complying with government advice to eat five fruit and vegetable portions daily, according to a new survey.
Yesterday was the start of Cancer Prevention Week and campaigners commissioned a poll from YouGov to find out how successful the long-running five-a-day campaign has been.
This showed that just 22 per cent of people are complying with the recommendations, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.
It has declared Friday to be "Fruity Friday" in a bid to get more people to eat an extra portion of fruit.
Kate Mendoza, of the WCRF, said: “These figures show that many people are still finding it difficult to follow the healthy eating message. Getting at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is the building block of a healthy diet.
"Not only are fruit and veg a good source of nutrients, they also tend to be low in calories and full of fibre so help us maintain a healthy weight.
“A diet based on plant foods, such as wholegrains and pulses as well as fruit and vegetables, can reduce cancer risk as research shows they protect against a range of cancers. Recent research has confirmed that foods containing fibre reduce the risk of bowel cancer.”
Meanwhile the UK government launched proposals to standardise food packet labelling with the aim of helping the public choose healthy foods more easily.
A consultation launched by health secretary Andrew Lansley calls for a single system of labelling, setting out how much fat, salt, sugar and calories are in products.
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