Diets not as bad as data suggests

AT A CEREMONY to mark the start of National Nutrition Week on Friday, the Chinese Nutrition Society said that the quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed by Chinese residents had decreased in 2012 compared with that of 2002. China Daily reporter Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

As some have pointed out, the data is quite old - It describes the situation in 2012, while we are now in 2019. Yet these are the latest data available. The national nutrition survey is conducted every 10 years, so the next survey will not be conducted until 2022, three years later. But it takes a long time to change people's dietary habits and seven years is not long enough for that. A browse at more past data records will make it clearer. China has conducted four national nutrition surveys since 1982, and the four surveys show some obvious trends.

The amount of cereal food, such as wheat and rice, that is consumed has been constantly dropping, while that of meat, fish and oil has been constantly growing. The amount of vegetables eaten has decreased, too.