UK Study Finds Household Fruit and Vegetable Production Could Be Key to Health and Food Security

A study from the University of Sheffield in the UK found that households that grew their own food in allotments and gardens could produce more than half of the vegetables and 20% of the fruit they consume annually. The study also found that household food growers ate 70% more servings of fruits and vegetables than the national average and had 95% less fruit and vegetable waste than the average UK household. Participants commonly engaged in behaviors like donating unneeded food items and preserving and freezing excess food for later use. “This study provides the first long-term evidence that household food production could play in promoting healthier diets through self-sufficiency and adds important support to any policy making that seeks to expand household level fruit and vegetable production,” noted Dr. Jill Edmondson, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences.