In the Philippines, consuming a minimum of 69 kilograms of veggies per year per person is recommended by the Department of Health, but per capita vegetable consumption is at 39 kilograms per person, 43.4 percent lower than the ideal.

Research commissioned by the First Class Agriculture (FCA), a fully owned subsidiary of AgriNurture, Inc. (ANI), reveals: "Filipino households generally consume singly prepared vegetable dishes only...once or twice a week [at most. Often], vegetables are simply added to a dish – mixed with pork, chicken, or [another] meat. Otherwise, vegetables are generally skipped as a dish." But the people must realize that a diet with zero veggies is a dangerous thing.

Something must be done to reverse the trend avoiding vegetables in the diet due to too little public knowledge of the importance of vegetables in the daily diet and on the consequences of skipping veggies in meal planning.

Skipping veggies means giving up the huge nutritional value derived from eating vegetables. There are significant research findings on what vegetables do to the human body, and these include "considerable epidemiological evidence that nutrients obtained from a diet high in fruits and vegetables can offer protection from cancer and cardiovascular diseases." Now, if this isn’t great value, what else is? The Big C is still the most dreaded disease in the country considering that there is still no cure for it.

Health is among the highest concerns of Filipinos. The pressure wrought by present economic realities poses a challenge to Filipino families to identify ways and means to promote health in the family at lower costs. Diet is the first item that comes under scrutiny. Interestingly, the greatest deficiency of all in the Filipino diet – veggies – costs the least in the shopping list for viand ingredients.

There are 43 popular vegetables in the Philippines and all are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and proteins. They are classified as leafy, vegetable fruits, tubers and roots, edible flower parts, and bean pods.

FCA – which stands for Fresh Choice Always – is the brand for safe and freshly picked vegetables, packed in cling wrap that seals freshness in. This brand provides a wide selection of veggies for daily consumption, including cabbage and pechay for leafy vegetables; calabasa and chayote for fruits; gabi and potato for roots and tubers; banana blossom for edible flower parts; and lima beans and string beans for bean pods.

Antonio Tiu, chief executive officer of AgriNurture, Inc. (ANI), the company that markets and sells the FCA brand, shares: "FCA fresh vegetables are guaranteed safe, farm fresh, and an affordable source of complete nutrition essential for the family’s sustainable health and wellness; exerting special care in harvesting, handling, storing, packing, and transporting veggies."

FCA’s farm personnel ensure safe and healthy farm practices so consumers can be confident that the vegetables they buy from FCA are safe from bacteria and toxic chemicals. These are replenished daily at trade with veggies that are freshly picked from any of the FCA farms nationwide.

FCA veggies are available at SM supermarkets, SM hypermarkets, and Makro stores in hygienic, secure packaging that optimally preserves the freshness and nutritional value of vegetables. FCA vegetables will also be available online through www.ani.com.ph beginning September 1.