DE00000485124

 

19 March 2010

 

Dear Ms Davis

 

Thank you for your email of 24 February to the Department of Health requesting, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), for recorded information about the 5 a day evidence base.  Your email has been passed to me for reply.

 

Specifically, you asked for:

 

·         more information about the evidence base behind the 5 a day" campaign to promote a diet richer in fresh fruit and vegetables.

    

·         In particular I am interested in finding out how the figure of 5 was arrived at (rather than, say, 4, or 10).

    

·         Please could you supply me with any recorded information which you hold which relates to these two topics, including for example any research findings you hold, any correspondence on the subject with nutritional experts and others, and any minutes of meetings in which these topics have been discussed.

 

I can confirm that the Department does hold some information relevant to your request.  Section 21 of the FOIA enables public bodies to refuse requests where information is already reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means.  Further details of the underpinning evidence and the Department's

5 A DAY programme can be found at:

 

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthimprovement/FiveADay/FiveADaygeneralinformation/DH_4002343

 

For more information, you may also wish to look at the World Health Organisation and NHS websites, which can be found at:

 

http://search.who.int/search?q=five%20a%20day%20portion%20of%20fruit%20and%20vegetables&spell=1&access=p&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=utf8&lr=lang_en&client=WHO&sitesearch=&site=default_collection&oe=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=WHO

 

and

 

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/5aday/pages/5adayhome.aspx/

 

 

 

For background information, the 5 A DAY programme was developed with the advice of experts and in consultation with key stakeholders that included industry and consumer organisations.  Expert bodies including the UK Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) (now the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) consistently recommend eating at least 400g of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. This is based on the evidence that populations who consume at least 400g of fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and some cancers. The Department of Health currently promotes consumption of at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day, totalling 400g, equating to 80g per portion.  Potatoes are considered as a starch staple food and therefore are not included as part of 5 A DAY .

 

In relation to your request for correspondence on the subject with nutritional experts and others, and minutes of meetings in which these topics have been discussed, although we do not have copies of any correspondence or minutes from meetings, we have a range of evidence (attached) that has been used to form the basis for 5 A DAY. You may also wish to use the following references for further information:

 

WHO, Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Technical Report Series 797, 1991, World Health Organisation: Geneva .

 

Department of Health, Nutritional Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease, 1994, The Stationery Office: London .

 

Department of Health, Nutritional Aspects of the Development of Cancer, 1998, The Stationery Office: London . p. 184-188.

 

If you have any queries about this response, please contact me.  Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

I hope this reply is helpful.  If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review.  Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to:

 

Head of the Freedom of Information Team

Department of Health

Room 317

Richmond House

79 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2NS

 

Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxx.xxx.xx

 

 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Department.  The ICO can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely

 

Genevieve Lobo

Freedom of Information Team

Department of Health