Northerners eat far too few vegetables. This is evident from research by NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. Only eight percent of the Drenthe, Groningen and Frisians surveyed eat the recommended daily amount of vegetables of 250 grams per day, the researchers conclude.
How healthy do Northern Dutch people eat, wondered the researchers from the Transformational Media professorship at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. To do this, they interviewed six hundred residents of Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland. And it turns out: there is still a lot to be gained in the field of healthy food, explains project leader and researcher Annalies Brijker: “We focus on fruit and vegetables. We then looked at how much organic food is eaten.”
The affordability, safety and healthiness of food play an important role in its purchase, the researchers discovered. How does that compare with the daily shortage of fruit and vegetables? “We should do further research into this, but I think this has to do with knowledge,” says Brijker. “I think a lot of people just don’t know that the daily recommended amount is 250 grams. In the Netherlands we actually only have the opportunity to eat vegetables once a day. It is not that common to eat it for breakfast or lunch. to eat.”
Almost half of those surveyed believe that more fruit and vegetables should be offered in places such as sports and company canteens and educational and healthcare institutions. The supply of fruit and vegetables even appears to influence the choice of a particular healthcare institution.
Eighteen percent of Northern Dutch people regularly buy organic food. Price, the environment, animal welfare and health play an important role in this. Although most respondents find organic products expensive, they think that more information about the reasons for the higher prices can help encourage organic eating.
It is striking that Northern Dutch people do not score noticeably lower than people from other Dutch regions, says Brijker. “It doesn’t seem that way. Similar research has been done among the entire Dutch population, and we see approximately the same results. We also see hardly any difference between people from Drenthe, Groningen and Frisians.”