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Barriers to Fruits and Vegetables (FVs) Consumption and Strategies to overcome the barriers in Low-and-Middle Income Countries (LMICs): A Narrative Review.

This review provides an overview of the barriers to fruits and vegetables (FVs) consumption as well as strategies to improve FVs intake in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). The importance of FVs consumption and its role in disease prevention have been discussed briefly. Trends in FVs consumption in LMICs are also summarised. WHO recommends that every individual should consume at least five servings or 400g of FVs per day. Epidemiological and clinical investigations have demonstrated that FVs contain numerous bioactive compounds with health-protecting activities. Despite the health benefits, FVs intake in LMICs remains low. Major barriers identified were socio-demographic factors, environmental conditions, individual and cultural factors, and macrosystem influences. These barriers may be lowered at the household, school, community, and national level through multi-component interventions including behaviour change communication (BCC) initiatives, nutrition education (NE), gardening initiatives, farm to institution programs (FIPs), food baskets, cash transfers, nutrition-agriculture policy and program linkages, and food-market environment based strategies. This review has research implications due to the positive outcomes of strategies that lower barriers and boost promoters of FVs consumption in LMICs.