The Dutch are eating slightly more healthily than 10 years ago but many people are still failing to meet the official guidelines for a good diet, the public health institute RIVM says in a new report.

The RIVM compared eating patterns between 2007 and 2010 with those between 2012 and 2016 and found processed and red meat consumption had dropped by 8%. The cheese and milk obsessed Dutch were also eating and drinking fewer dairy products.

The biggest recorded drop was for alcohol, with consumption down 19%, the RIVM said. This could in part be due to the raising of the legal drinking age from 16 to 18.

However, the consumption of vegetables, and of grains, rice and pasta, has barely improved. Just 16% of the Dutch meet the recommended level of 250 grammes of  vegetables a day and only 13% 200 grammes of fruit.

The increase in fruit consumption in the survey is the equivalent of one mandarin orange a week, the RIVM said.

The Dutch dietary advice centre Voedingcentrum published new official recommendations for a healthy diet in 2016.