Regulator squashes smoothie doubts

With so many conflicting messages in the press these days about what is and isn’t good for you, it’s no wonder we feel confused about what we can do to keep our bodies healthy.

And with less than one third of Brits actually getting their 5-a-day (27% of males, 31% of females*), it seems getting your five recommended daily portions of fruit and veg a day is still a bit of a struggle.

Today the Advertising Standards Authority has finally put to bed a dispute over whether a smoothie can count for one or two portions of someone’s 5-a-day. The regulator joins the Food Standards Agency, the British Nutrition Foundation and the Department of Health (which updated its guidelines earlier this year) in confirming that innocent smoothies can count for two of a person’s 5-a-day as each 250ml serving contains the crushed pulp as well as juices of two portions of different types of fruit.

The Department of Health’s 5 A Day website states: “smoothies may count as a maximum of 2 of your 5 a day where they contain both pure 100% fruit juice and all of the edible pulped fruit and/or vegetable … one portion is defined as at least 150mls of fruit juice or 80g of fruit or vegetable.”

With each bottle making up not one but two of your 5-a-day, innocent smoothies are an easy and convenient way to help you get your daily portions of fruit and be a little bit healthier too.

Dr Shilpee Aggarwal, nutritionist for innocent drinks, says “This is good news for the consumer as now The Food Standards Agency, The British Nutrition Foundation, the ASA and most importantly the Department of Health all agree that smoothies can count as two portions of fruit. Smoothies are an easy and tasty way to help people reach their 5-a-day target.”

For more information visit innocentdrinks.com .

*The Office of National Statistics’ 2007 Health Survey for England can be found here at ic.nhs.uk.