Background – The ability to have a healthy diet on a low income is thought to be a major problem, which contributes to the widening inequalities in nutrition and health. It is perceived that many people can not afford to meet the recommended 400g of fruit and vegetable a day.
Objective – To conduct market research on the price of the selected fresh fruit and vegetables to determine the daily cost of meeting the 5-a-day initiative in New Zealand.
Design – Four waves of data collection were conducted on five selected food stores to reflect differences in stores prices and seasonal variation. To establish the price unit/80g two different strategies were applied. The items sold on price per kilogram were converted by dividing the price by 1000 to give price per 1g, and then multiplied by 80. The items sold on weight basis were converted by dividing the actual weight in grams and multiplying by 80.
Outcomes – To meet the 5-a-day initiative the total cost ranged from $1.40-$1.97 (spring), $1.13-$1.98 (summer), $1.37- $2.00 (autumn), and $1.64- $2.12 (winter) per person. There was no significant difference in the price of fruit and vegetables between seasons, after the sale items were calculated into the daily cost F(3, 16) = .256, P >.05, however, there was evidence of a significant effect of food store, F(4, 15) = 4.67, P = .012.
Conclusions – The cost of meeting the 5-a-day initiative ranged from NZ$1.37 (the cost of a typical chocolate bar) to NZ$2.12 (the cost of a typical packet of biscuits) throughout the year. The results of the present study provide encouraging evidence to empower low income population to consume a healthy diet.