Latest Research Says 200,000 More Kiwi Adults Now Eating Their 5+ A Day

New Zealanders are taking real steps to look after their health, with new research showing more Kiwi adults are now eating five or more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day, compared with three years ago.

The 2026 5+ A Day Awareness and Consumption Report, conducted by NielsenIQ, found 45% of New Zealanders now eat five or more servings a day, up from 40% in 2023. Applied across the adult population, that shift represents roughly 200,000* more New Zealanders building healthier habits, one meal at a time. The proportion eating six or more servings a day has climbed too, from 25% in 2023 to 30% this year – the highest level recorded since 2021.

Dr Carolyn Lister, Team Leader - Food & Health Information Food & Bioproducts Technology and Trustee of the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust, says the results are fantastic and a source of pride for the Trust.

"We're proud of, and inspired by, the number of Kiwi who are taking better care of their health," Dr Lister says. "It shows that simple, consistent messages about eating fresh, seasonal produce really can shift behaviour,” she says.

The research points to seasonal, good-value produce as the single biggest driver behind encouraging them to eat more. Eighty-five percent of those surveyed agreed that in-season affordable produce encouraged them to eat more fresh fruit, while 84% said the same for vegetables – making it the strongest motivator of consumption ahead of health goals and even growing produce at home.

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"When fruit and vegetables are in season, they're at their best – full of flavour, at their most nutritious, and better value for money," Dr Lister says. "It shows that when produce is in season and plentiful, and offers great value, people eat more of it."

The improvement wasn't evenly spread across all groups. Māori were significantly more likely to be eating five or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day, at 60% compared with the 45% national average. Gen Z also stood out for vegetables specifically, with 33% eating five or more servings a day, ahead of every other generation.

The research also found that recipe inspiration and growing produce at home remain important motivators, particularly for vegetables, while awareness of the 5+ A Day programme itself remains strong, with four in five New Zealanders familiar with it.

Despite the positive shift, opportunities remain. Dinner is still the dominant occasion for both fruit and vegetable intake, while breakfast and snack times represent the biggest opportunity for New Zealanders to add more servings to their day. Understanding of the recommended daily intake also remains an area for improvement, with only around a quarter of New Zealanders able to correctly identify the recommended fruit intake (2 servings per day), and about a third correctly identifying the recommended vegetable intake (5 or more servings per day for adults).

5+ A Day says the results reinforce the importance of continuing to promote seasonal, affordable produce as a practical way to help New Zealanders build lasting healthy eating habits, as well as continuing education around portion sizes.

For seasonal recipe inspiration and ideas on how to make the most of what's fresh right now, follow @5adaynz on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

References:

Ministry of Health eating and activity guidelines: https://static.info.content.health.nz/docs/health-pros/topics/nutrition/eating-activity-guidelines-nz-adults.pdf

World Health Organization healthy diet recommendations: https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/nutrition---maintaining-a-healthy-lifestyle

*Note on the 200,000 figure:

This is an estimate, not a NielsenIQ-reported statistic. It is calculated by applying the 5 percentage point increase in New Zealanders eating 5+ servings a day (from 40% in 2023 to 45% in 2026) to New Zealand's estimated adult (18+) population of approximately 4.15 million (based on Stats NZ's national population estimate of 5.36 million at March 2026, with those aged 18+ estimated at around 78% of the total population). 5% of 4.15 million is approximately 207,500, rounded here to "more than 200,000.

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