I really hope that the 5-a-day campaign is not going to run out of steam.

While the applause goes in great measure to the government for the wads of cash that have been made available and the immediate recognition to more healthy-eating organisations than I can remember, it is easy to forget that it was the trade that had kept the concept moving forward for more than 20 years beforehand.

I should know. I was a director of the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Information Bureau (FFVIB) which had to fight long and hard to keep voluntary funds coming after initial excitement had died away.

When the bureau was launched, the government was lukewarm rather than enthusiastic. And although almost everyone else who should have been associated with the drive could regurgitate the FFVIB mantra, they all looked blank when asked to help find ways to contribute.

I make the observation at this stage, because now that everything is up and running, there are also signs that the concept needs a bit more razz-a-matazz.

Take for example recent reports. You know the old saying about Greeks bearing gifts.

As holiday makers return from popular venues as Greece, researchers in that country have come up with the view that five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables may not be as significant to a healthy diet as we might have thought.

Scientists at Athens University have claimed that three portions are sufficient, and eating more doesn't make a great deal of difference (see Bushel Box, September 5).

At a time when our Department of Health is pouring millions into the 5-a-day strategy such news can hardly be welcomed. Particularly as our own British Heart Foundation was quoted in newspaper reports of the Athens research as saying that the optimum number of portions is still controversial.

Nearer to reality is the news from the Food Standards Agency that children are having less fruit put in their lunch boxes than was previously thought, (see FPJ September 5). The study showed that chocolate and crisps ñ the eternal sworn enemy of fruit-eaters ñ if not in the ascendancy, are holding their own own.

It is commendable for the government to push the message where there is real dietary concern about the poorer sections of the population. The key question of course remains whether old habits will return when the money dries up.

And the silent majority whose market share probably outweighs everything else ñ as the lunch boxes proclaim ñ need further stimulus.

Perhaps we should follow the same path as the French who have already discounted the magic five figure, and are set on increasing the portion rate as high as 10. At the least this is good for business.