DESPITE campaigns and educational efforts, a significant gap still remains between the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and the quantities actually consumed by populations around the world. Traditional dried fruits provide essential nutrients, such as fibre and the minerals potassium and calcium, and an array of health-protective bioactive compounds. They are devoid of fat, very low in sodium and have no added sugars. Since they are naturally resistant to spoilage, easy to store and transport, low in carbon offset, available year-round, readily incorporated into other foods, and relatively low in cost, dried fruits represent an important means to increase overall consumption of fruit to bridge the gap between recommended intake of fruits and the amount populations actually consume.
Most recently, internationally recognised health researchers have recommended that food policy makers consider dried fruits equivalent to fresh fruits in dietary recommendations around the world. The presentations recognised that traditional, no-sugar added dried fruits, such as raisins, dried plums (prunes), figs, dates, apricots and apples should be included side by side with fresh fruit recommendations by global policy makers.
Organised by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Foundation (INC), the 30th World Nut & Dried Fruit Congress brought together industry leaders and researchers in an international dried fruit round table. The round table highlighted the collaboration by 13 scientists fromthe
The INC Foundation, based in
Dietary fibre and digestive health
Dried fruits are an important source of dietary fibre, Daniel D. Gallaher, Ph.D. said.