Chapter 1 Definitions and Classifications for Fruit and Vegetables

Chapter 1 Definitions and classifications for fruit and vegetables In the broadest sense, the botani- Botanical and culinary cal term vegetable refers to any plant, definitions edible or not, including trees, bushes, vines and vascular plants, and Botanical definitions distinguishes plant material from ani- Broadly, the botanical term fruit refers mal material and from inorganic to the mature ovary of a plant, matter. There are two slightly different including its seeds, covering and botanical definitions for the term any closely connected tissue, without vegetable as it relates to food. any consideration of whether these According to one, a vegetable is a are edible. As related to food, the plant cultivated for its edible part(s); IT botanical term fruit refers to the edible M according to the other, a vegetable is part of a plant that consists of the the edible part(s) of a plant, such as seeds and surrounding tissues. This the stems and stalk (celery), root includes fleshy fruits (such as blue- (carrot), tuber (potato), bulb (onion), berries, cantaloupe, poach, pumpkin, leaves (spinach, lettuce), flower (globe tomato) and dry fruits, where the artichoke), fruit (apple, cucumber, ripened ovary wall becomes papery, pumpkin, strawberries, tomato) or leathery, or woody as with cereal seeds (beans, peas). The latter grains, pulses (mature beans and definition includes fruits as a subset of peas) and nuts. vegetables. Definition of fruit and vegetables applicable in epidemiological studies, Fruit and vegetables Edible plant foods excluding cereal grains, nuts, seeds, tea leaves, coffee beans, cacao beans, herbs and spices Fruit Vegetables Edible parts of plants that contain the seeds and pulpy Edible plant parts including stems and stalks, roots, surrounding tissue; have a sweet or tart taste; gener- tubers, bulbs, leaves, flowers and fruits; usually includes ally consumed as breakfast beverages, breakfast and seaweed and sweet corn; may or may not include lunch side-dishes, snacks or desserts pulses or mushrooms; generally consumed raw or cooked with a main dish, in a mixed dish, as an appetizer or in a salad IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention Volume 8: Fruit and Vegetables Whether mushrooms and seaweed definition of fruit and vegetables that raw or cooked, generally with a main (foods commonly used as vegetables) has specific conditions relating to dish, in a mixed dish, as an appetizer are regarded as part of the plant macronutrient content, processing and or in a salad. Vegetables include kingdom depends on the choice of one serving sizes, but this definition is not edible stems and stalks, roots, tubers, out of four schemes used to classify practical for use in relation to epidemi- bulbs, leaves, flowers, some fruits, living organisms into kingdoms. The ological studies. pulses (mature beans and peas), fungi traditional scheme of two kingdoms The culinary term fruit refers to the (mushrooms, truffles), algae (sea- (plant and animal) places fungi and edible part of a plant, tree, bush or vine weed) and sweet corn and hominy algae (sources of food mushrooms that contains the seeds and pulpy (cereal grains used as vegetables). and seaweed, respectively) in the plant surrounding tissue and has a sweet or The culinary term vegetable excludes kingdom. In the other three schemes, tart taste. In essence, culinary fruits other cereal grains, nuts, peanuts (a the fungi and algae are placed either are the subset of botanical fruits that type of pulse) and culinary fruits. The together in the Protista kingdom or remains after excluding cereal grains distinction as to which botanical fruits separately in the Protista and fungi (wheat, rye, oats, barley), nuts, seeds are considered to be culinary vegeta- kingdoms (Stern, 1988). and fruits used as vegetables. Fruits bles depends on cultural use in meal are used as a breakfast beverage or patterns and the flavours they impart. Culinary definitions side-dish (for example, orange juice, Botanical fruits used as vegetables The main culinary groupings for edible berries, grapefruit, melon), lunch (e.g., eggplant, okra, zucchini) tend to plant materials are fruit, vegetables, side-dish or dessert, snack food be savory in taste, while those used as cereal grains, nuts, and seeds. (Minor between meals or dinner dessert. Raw fruits are generally sweet (due to a groupings include herbs or spices and and canned fruits are also used as higher sugar concentration) or tart as plant parts used to make coffee, tea appetizers, salad ingredients and side- in cranberries, lemons and limes (due and chocolate). Populations are dishes. to a higher acid content). accustomed to these culinary group- The culinary term vegetable refers ings and use them to communicate to edible part(s) of a plant consumed about plant foods and to distinguish the types of plant food used in meals. These culinary groupings are used in households for meal planning and preparation, in educational settings where nutrition professionals communicate cooking skills and dietary advice to consumers, in the market place, where people purchase plant foods for home use, and in restaurants, where people order and consume prepared foods. The culinary term fruit and vegeta- J' bles may be defined as edible plant foods excluding cereal grains, nuts, seeds, coffee, tea, cacao and herbs :4 and spices, Dom el etal. (1993b) provided a similar but more detailed definition for fruit and vegetables, noting the ., exclusion of nuts, seeds, peanuts, peanut butter, grains and vegetables 4 . u when used as grains and the inclusion - . of olives, avocados, pickles, coconut and products and mixed dishes that contain any amount of fruit and vegetable. They also provided a narrow a r MUMA A . 2 Definitions and classifications for fruit and vegetables Cultural differences in culinary vegetables such as turnips and vegetarians and vegans (Venti & definitions parsnips in the vegetable group. Johnston, 2002), places beans in a Culinary distinctions as to which plant Potatoes might be grouped with grains protein group and provides separate parts are used as fruits and vegetables because, like grain products, they are groups for dark green leafy vegetables (and which are designated as fruits starchy, inexpensive, readily available and dried fruit to encourage use of and which as vegetables) are based and commonly consumed. The sources of iron and other minerals that on traditional use and tend to be Swedish food guide has a separate are usually obtained from meat. imprecise, varying within and between food group for potatoes and other root Foods derived from fruit and veg- cultures. Information about which vegetables and recommends that root etables such as preserves, jams and foods serve as fruits and vegetables is vegetables be the foundation for a jollies, sugared fruit pieces used as generally presented in books on daily inexpensive diet supplemented candies, and sweet cucumber pickles cookery and in food guides that are with other vegetables that vary from fit into the sweets or sugars group of developed for consumers by govern- day to day and between seasons. food guides. Food guides do not have ment public health agencies or by Seven of the guides place pulses in groupings for mixed dishes or desserts professional nutrition associations. the meat group because of their pro- that contain fruit or vegetables, for Food guides are used by nutrition edu- tein content; Australia, Germany and condiments or snack foods that are cators to communicate the types and Sweden put pulses in the vegetable derived from fruit or vegetables, or for quantities of foods that should be con- group because of their vitamin, mineral herbs and spices. sumed on a daily basis to meet nutri- and dietary fibre content. The US food ent needs, prevent deficiency diseases guide places immature pulses in the Summary of definition issues and lower the risk for diet-related vegetable group and mature pulses in Botanical definitions for fruit and veg- chronic diseases. the meat, poultry and fish group. The etables are more precise than culinary A recent comparison of food guides Chinese guide places pulses (primarily definitions. However, culinary defini- used in Australia, China, Canada, soybeans and soymilk) in the milk and tions are based on cultural uses of Germany, Korea (Republic of), Mexico, dairy products group. A food guide for foods and are more commonly under- the Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States (USA) revealed that despite the cultural differences in dietary patterns, food groupings (cereal grains, vegetables, fruit, meat and meat substitutes, dairy products, fats and sweets) are generally similar (Painter et al., 2002). Fruit and vegetables appear as a sicgle group in six food guides (Canada, China, Korea, Portugal, Mexico and the United Kingdom), but are separate groups in the other guides. All the guides separate nuts, seeds and cereal grain products from fruit and vegetables. There are differences in the placement of starchy root and tuber vegetables and pulses between the guides. Six of the guides (Australia, Canada, China, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and the USA) group potatoes in the vegetable group. Germany, Korea, Mexico, Portugal and the United Kingdom group potatoes in the grain group, but place other root and tuber 3 IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention Volume 8: Fruit and Vegetables stood by nutrition researchers and by pulse with various cultural uses small amounts used, but they participants in epidemiological

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