Map reveals England’s healthy eating hotspots

England’s healthy eating hotspots: Northerners are less likely to eat their ‘5-a-day’, map reveals

• In Richmond, 68.8% of people hit the government advised ‘5-a-day’
• This is 37% more than the 47.1% meeting the target in Kingston upon Hull 
• Expert claims ‘deprivation’ may drive worse fruit and veg intake in some areas 

Northerners are less likely to eat their five-a-day. 

A map shows a north-south divide among those who achieve the government recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Government data shows 68.8 per cent of people who live in affluent Richmond upon Thames hit the ‘5-a-day’ target. This is compared to just 47.1 per cent of those from Kingston upon Hull and 48.1 per cent from Oldham, Greater Manchester.

A spokesperson from the British Nutrition Foundation told MailOnline ‘deprivation’ may drive worse fruit and veg consumption in certain areas.

The spokesperson adds failure to meet the 5-a-day targets puts people at risk of heart disease and even certain cancers. 

Map shows the best and worst regions of England for achieving the ‘5-a-day’ fruit and vegetable target according to Public Health England data. On top is Richmond upon Thames, where 68.8 per cent of people meet the aim compared to 47.1 per cent in Kingston upon Hull

THE BEST AND WORST AREAS IN ENGLAND FOR GETTING YOUR 5-A-DAY 

Top 10 best

 Region

Richmond

Herefordshire

Isles of Scilly

Isle of Wight

Brighton and Hove

 Devon

Wokingham

Shropshire

Dorset

Bristol 

 % who get 5/day

 68.8

68.5

67.7

67.4

66.9

66.4

65.7

65.4

65

64.5 

Top 10 worst 

 Newham

Kingston upon Hull

Sandwell

Luton

Oldham

Tameside

Birmingham

Hillingdon

Tower Hamlets, Slough & Salford 

Hartlepool 

 45.7

47.1

                             47.2  

47.8

48.1

48.4

48.9

49.1

all 49.4 

                                       49.6

On average, 57.4 per cent of people who live in England get their 5-a-day, according to the Public Health England (PHE) data.

Sixty nine regions better this, with Herefordshire coming second to Richmond at 68.5 per cent.

In third and fourth place are the Isles of Scilly and Wight with 67.7 per cent and 67.4 per cent, respectively. Brighton and Hove comes fifth at 66.9 per cent. 

Kingston upon Hull misses out on the worst fruit and veg intake to the London Borough of Newham, which is at just 45.7 per cent.

The third worst area is Sandwell, near Birmingham, at 47.2 per cent, fourth is Luton, Bedforshire, at 47.8 per cent and fifth Oldham.

Speaking of the findings, a British Nutrition Foundation spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘While there are probably a number of different factors behind why people do or don’t meet their 5-a-day, deprivation looks like it is an important one and it may be related to these regional variations. 

‘We know that meeting the recommendation is associated with a reduced risk of serious health conditions like heart disease, stroke and some cancers so it’s worrying that many people in the UK are not eating enough fruit and vegetables, despite it being such a well-recognised health message.’

Previous research suggests the antioxidants in fruit and vegetables can protect against stomach, lung, prostate and pancreatic cancers.

High levels of fibre in fresh produce also add bulk to stools, which helps them move quicker through the digestive tract and reduces a person’s risk of bowel cancer.

PHE’s research was collected via the Active Lives survey, with respondents, who were aged 16-to-75, reporting on their fruit and vegetable intake on a typical day.

They were asked ‘how many portions of fruit did you eat yesterday?’ This included fresh, frozen, dried, tinned, stewed or juiced fruit. Fruit juice only ever counts as one portion.

The same question was asked for their vegetable consumption and included fresh, frozen, raw or tinned options, excluding potatoes. Beans and pulses only counted as one portion.

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