"Vegetable Day" draws renewed attention amid decline in vegetable intake in Japan

August 30, 2016


"Vegetable Day" draws renewed attention amid decline in vegetable intake in Japan

Japanese are one of the most health-conscious peoples in the world and they are trying to eat more vegetables to be healthier. They believe their vegetable consumption is actually on the increase. but statistics show a quite different picture.
The 31st day of August is "Vegetable Day" in Japan. This is a kind of a play on words in the Japanese language. The day was so designated by nine grocery and food traders' associations in 1983.
This had been relatively less known until a few years ago when major food distributors and food makers began to promote the day in a campaign to encourage consumers to eat more vegetables, fresh or processed. A similar campaign was launched by the Japan Vegetable Sommelier Association last year.
Japanese people's eating habit has been largely westernized in the past decades. Their intake of meats and oil and fat foods has been on a steady increase, while their vegetable consumption has been declining over the past 20 years.
The per-capita vegetable intake comes only to 277 grams a day, falling far below the government-set target of 350 grams.
Japanese consumers have become more aware of the importance of vegetables for their health. The intake of greenish and yellow vegetables is widely recommended, because they contain important pigments and nutriments. Related recipes and meals are available for health-conscious consumers. Meanwhile, more than 50,000 people are qualified to be Vegetable Sommeliers.
The consumption of greenish and yellow vegetables is holding level, but overall vegetable consumption has been on a decline, due in part to wide fluctuations in vegetable prices.
This causes vegetables to appear to consumers to be comparatively expensive and this leads to the decline in overall vegetable consumption, despite the quite opposite general belief.
A study by a national health and nutrition research institute suggests that the lower the family income is, the smaller their vegetable intake is. This phenomenon is said to be pronounced for males.
This theory, if true, can be taken to suggest it is only natural for Japanese to consume less vegetables, at a time when income is declining for many families.
Imported foods are becoming more available than ever, but 80 pct of fresh vegetables consumed in Japan are domestic products.
Japanese vegetable farmers and distributors as well as government people are all out to increase vegetable consumption in Japan, their efforts are expected to become important for Japan to achieve a healthier society in the years to come.