SLOVAKS have been eating less fresh fruit and vegetables over last 10 years, while their neighbours in the Czech Republic have been eating more. It’s the same situation with milk and dairy products, the Pravda daily wrote.
In 2007, the average Slovak ate less than 40 kilograms of fresh fruits, while the average Czech consumed almost 90 kilograms.
“The economic power of Slovak households did not grow as much as the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables did,” Ľubomír Drahovský from the Terno market survey agency told the daily. “The purchasing power of Czechs is higher than that of Slovaks. Apart from this, Czech prices also reflect the lower value-added tax on basic food.”
Sociologist Sylvia Porubänová said that people know what is healthy for them, but for many families money is a problem.
“Fruit is one the first things that is excluded from the diet for people with low incomes,” she said.
The arrival of new retail chains and more competition has brought cheaper prices for common vegetables, but the same thing did not happen with fruits.
“Life has also become faster over the last 10 years, and families often do not have time to grow vitamins in their own gardens,” she said.
Many households also lost grandparents, who grew fruits and vegetables in many villages. Dr. Jana Jurkovičová from the Society for Health and Diet told the daily that most citizens’ eating habits have worsened over the last 10 years.
“Slovaks eat little fruits, vegetables, milk or fish,” she said. “On the other hand, the opened borders brought habits from the West to Slovakia, and the consumption of sweet drinks, chips and sweets, and lunches and dinners at fast food stands has increased several times over.”