Zero Vegetable / Fruit Consumption by Children

WHO indicates that low vegetable and fruit consumption is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, placing it among the top 10 risk factors for global mortality. Therefore, this indicator measures the proportion of children who did not consume any vegetables or fruits during the previous day.

There are two main ways to determine the indicator’s value. Both require conducting individual interviews with caregivers of a representative sample of children aged 6 - 23 months:

1) Using Data from Measuring Dietary Diversity

When measuring children’s dietary diversity (see guidance), the questionnaire recommended by WHO/UNICEF also records whether a child consumed fruits and/or vegetables (Q7C-Q7H). You can use the data to determine the indicator’s value.

2) Asking About Vegetables / Fruits Only

If you do not use the questionnaire mentioned above, you should only use the following questions:

Q1: Yesterday, did [child’s name] consume any fruits or vegetables?

A1: yes / no / does not know

To calculate the indicator’s value, divide the number of children aged 6 - 23 months who consumed vegetables or fruits during the previous day by the total number of surveyed children aged 6 - 23 months (excluding those where the "does not know" answer was provided). Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by gender, age group and household wealth. 

1) In many contexts, consumption of vegetables and fruits is prone to seasonal differences. Do your best to collect baseline and endline data from the same period of year; otherwise, it is very likely that it will not be comparable. Do not collect data during the fasting periods (such as pre-Easter or Ramadan).

2) If the caregiver takes care of two children aged 6 - 23 months (from the same household) and household sampling has been used, then data should be collected for both children. If a list method has been used and have been children identified as the primary sampling unit, then data should only be collected for the sampled child.

3) This indicator relies on accurate age assessment. Since people often do not remember the exact dates of their children’s birth, the enumerators should always verify the child’s age. This can be done by reviewing the child’s birth certificate, vaccination card or other document; however, since many caregivers do not have such documents (and since they can include mistakes), it is essential that the enumerators are able to verify the child’s age by using local events calendars. Read FAO’s Guidelines (see below) to learn how to prepare local events calendars and how to train enumerators in their correct use.