Health benefits
Fruit and vegetables are great sources of essential nutrients. They contain no saturated fats, salt or added sugars and are a good source of dietary fibre. Eating enough fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle can help you to maintain a healthy weight, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure and benefit your dental health.
It can also help protect you against chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke, and may reduce your risk of some types of cancers.
When fresh produce is not readily available frozen and canned produce are nutritious alternatives. Look at the ingredients list and try to choose varieties without added salt, added sugars (including concentrated fruit juice or syrups) or fats.
Get inspired
Enjoying a variety of fruit and vegetables in your daily meals and snacks means eating all the colours of the rainbow. Each colour carries unique compounds that give these products some of their many health benefits.
By buying Australian produce, you’re making the best choice for you and your family, while also supporting local producers and farmers. Another benefit is a reduced food bill as you replace treats with more fruit and vegetables.
For inspiration on creating healthy meals visit Eat for Health and the Heart Foundation websites.
Seasonal produce
The best way to get a wide variety of fruit and vegetables into your daily meals and snacks is to eat produce in season — when it’s at its peak. Buying in season means you are:
- more likely to buy local produce
- maximising the nutrient content
- getting better bang-for-your-buck.
Keep an eye out for country of origin labelling which will help you identify where it was grown.
You can find out what fruits and vegetables are in season by visiting the Seasonal Food Guide website.
If you're located in Tasmania, you can find out more by visiting Eat Well Tasmania.
Food safety
Australia has a strong record on food safety however even with the best food safety practices in place, things can go wrong. Our food recall system ensures unsafe food is removed from the marketplace as quickly as possible. Find out more about our food recall system by visiting the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website.
To extend the life of your fruit and vegetables you should make sure you handle, store and cook it correctly. Find more information about storage and handling by visiting the CSIRO website.