Other Fresh Produce News
McDonald's Moves Towards Healthier Happy Meals
McDonald’s Happy Meals are changing for the better as the company takes action against childhood obesity in the US and elsewhere. Starting in September, the company are launching a revised Happy Meal menu that decreases the serving of french fries by half and will include a fresh fruit product such as its apple slices. This new strategy will be rolled out to all 14,000 US outlets by April next year and mean that the meals contain 20% less calories.
No doubt this is a change for the better and we in the fresh produce industry see this as a positive win in the name of consumer health!
Eating Fruit & Vegetables May Save Your Life…….
According to the latest report by the World Health Organisation on NCDs (non-communicable diseases), approximately 16 million (1.0%) disability-adjusted life years and 1.7 million (2.8%) of deaths worldwide are attributable to low fruit and vegetable consumption. Adequate consumption of fruit and vegetables reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. The report states that "there is convincing evidence that the consumption of high levels of high-energy foods, such as processed foods that are high in fats and sugars, promotes obesity compared to low-energy foods such as fruits and vegetables".
World Banana Production Passes 100 million Tonnes!
Bananas are a significant world product, with around 100 million tonnes being grown each year, on 5 million hectares of land, in over 110 different countries. 80% of these bananas are consumed as a staple food in the country of origin, the remaining 20 million tonnes enter the world market (FAO figs). Banana production is a major contributor to the national economy of many of the producer countries and the fruit itself features in the diet of millions of people around the world.