Peas Please campaign to boost eating of vegetables

Only 32% of people in Wales eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, an independent think tank report has found.

The Food Foundation said more action needs to be taken to get people eating the recommended daily intake.

The call came as it launched its Peas Please initiative on Monday.

It aims to secure commitments from the industry and government to increase vegetable consumption among the public.

It will bring together the likes of retailers, food producers, public bodies, councils, the NHS and government representatives in Wales.

Amber Wheeler, food security and sustainability consultant and PhD student at the University of South Wales, said: "We want all families to be able to eat more vegetables.

"To do this we need the whole supply chain, government and NGO's to work together to help make eating veg the easy choice.

"This is something that could radically change the health of the nation for the better at the same time as boosting the economy and providing more jobs."

Katie Palmer of Food Cardiff, part of the Sustainable Food Cities network, added: "Peas Please could be the innovation we need to increase consumer demand and influence the Welsh supply chain."

Nourish Scotland and WWF also head up the initiative, which was simultaneously launched in Cardiff, London and Glasgow.