Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Cancer Care Ontario's Cancer 2020 target for fruit and vegetable consumption is that 90% of the population will be consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

According to the 2007 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) conducted by Statistics Canada, 39% (34.9%, 42.4%) of Simcoe Muskoka residents (ages 12+) reported consuming fruits and vegetables 5 or more times each day. This was similar to what was reported for all of Ontario in the same survey year.

More females than males reported eating fruits and vegetables 5 or more times each day: 46% (40.9%, 51.8%) of women (12+) versus 31% (25.9%, 35.9%) of men (12+). Eating fruits and vegetables 5 or more times daily also increased with higher levels of education (see Figure 1).

Figure 1:

According to the 2003 Simcoe County Child Health Survey conducted among grade one students, nearly 1 in 3 children ate vegetables and fruits 5 or more times each day.