The Quebec Produce Marketing Association (QPMA) is pleased with the recommendations from the new Canadian Food Guide, which encourages the consumption of fruits and vegetables in abundance. For more than 15 years, the QPMA has been committed to promoting the adoption of healthy living habits. In August 2018, it had launched the “I Love Fruits and Veggies” movement in order to provide the Quebecois with advice on how to eat more fruits and vegetables daily.
According to economic impact studies by the QPMA in 2018 on the Quebec fruit and vegetable sector, more than half of the population of Quebec consumes less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. If each Quebecois consumed an extra serving per day of fruits and vegetables, around 4,000 illnesses could be avoided each year and 450 million dollars could be saved on the health system by 2035.
The new Canadian Food Guide clearly recommends filling half of our plates with fruits and vegetables. According to Sophie Perreault, CEO of QPMA, “the update of this important tool helps us in our mission to remind families in Quebec that with the nearly 2,500 products available annually in the fruit and vegetable aisles, consumers have easy access to a wide variety of healthy and delicious products all year round. Besides, those items also represent the best price/nutritional-value ratio. Finally, this new Guide explains that any way of increasing our fruit and vegetable consumption is good, whether they are fresh, frozen or canned. Our members are ready to satisfy the demand: go fill your shopping carts!”
