Food literacy as a tool for promoting healthier diets rich in fruit and vegetables
Editorial
Despite well-known public health guidelines advocating for increased consumption of fruit and vegetables, global intake remains insufficient worldwide, averaging just 267 g per person per day compared to the at least 400 g WHO recommendation (EPRS, 2021). This gap between knowledge and behavior is not limited to fruit and vegetables consumption but reflects broader inconsistencies in dietary habits. The concept of food literacy offers a comprehensive framework to bridge this gap and support lasting improvements in dietary behavior.
Food literacy is the “ability to make decisions to support personal health and a sustainable food system considering environmental, social, economic, cultural and political components” (Cullen, 2015). Food literacy is based on knowledge, practical skills and experiences but also includes critical analysis. These competencies are acquired during childhood and adolescence and can evolve throughout life.
Improving food literacy is a means of empowering individuals to take greater control over their dietary choices and overall health, especially as low health literacy has been associated with limited knowledge of chronic diseases (Metcalfe et al., 2021), higher disease prevalence, and poorer self-management capabilities (Hollywood et al., 2018).
This month , the Global Fruit and Vegetable Newsletter explores the link between food literacy and dietary patterns and examines how implementing food literacy programs can improve healthier food behaviors.
The first article (Lee et al., 2023) examines the associations between dietary intake and food literacy scores among participants in the 2021 Seoul dietary consumption survey. It also compares food literacy levels between adults and older adults. The study highlights that individuals whose diets are closer to nutritional guidelines tend to have higher food literacy scores, with a strong association observed for fresh fruit consumption. Moreover, individuals with the highest levels of food literacy are more likely to have adequate fruit and vegetable intake.
The second article (Butcher et al., 2024) identifies behavior change techniques used in intervention programs aimed at improving food literacy. It emphasizes that combining strategies focused on both knowledge and skills — particularly through hands-on practice — supports sustainable behavioral change. Goal setting emerges as a key technique, with many participants aiming to increase their fruit and vegetable intake. For these individuals, an increase in fruit consumption is observed, although no corresponding increase in vegetable intake is reported.
Among the key factors shaping food literacy is the nature of information individuals are exposed to from an early age. The final article (Jindarattanaporn et al., 2023) shows that exposure of Thai youth to health-related content on the internet is associated with their fruit and vegetable consumption. For this population, strengthening critical analysis skills appears to be particularly important.
These studies highlight that improving food literacy empowers individuals and enhances their ability to adopt healthier eating habits. It is noteworthy that higher food literacy is associated with increased consumption of fruit and vegetables. Besides, implementing effective and scalable food literacy programs, especially those incorporating behavior change techniques, is essential for sustainable results. From an early age, it is important to develop knowledge, practical skills, and critical thinking to enable informed dietary decisions, especially within today’s complex food systems. At the same time, improving food environments is also necessary. Enhancing food literacy is therefore a key strategy to support healthy aging.
This topic will take center stage at a symposium organized by Aprifel during the ICN IUNS 2025 congress, titled: “Food Literacy and Knowledge: Empowering all Eaters to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Consumption”. Taking place on Monday 25th of August, the session will bring together four experts in psychology and cognitive sciences to highlight the role of food literacy on food preferences.
Marion Hetherington is Professor Emerita in biopsychology at the University of Leeds. Her research is focused on human appetite across the lifespan. She received her DPhil from the University of Oxford and was awarded postdoctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins University and the NIH. She has held academic posts at the Universities of Dundee, Liverpool, and Glasgow Caledonian, before becoming Professor of Biopsychology at the University of Leeds in 2008. Her research focus is on the development of food preferences in infancy, the expression of hunger and satiety during infant meals, and how caregivers respond to these cues. She also investigates anorexia of ageing. Recent funded projects include conducting research on food fortification and supplementation to reduce risk of malnutrition in older adults.