In the above article, vegetables score -16% reduced risk but vegetables in a meal only -8%. Is this assuming that vegetables in a meal are over-cooked, or that different inferior ones (eg root vegetables) are used, or that other ingredients somehow detract from their value? Does "in a meal" mean cooked together or just eaten together? Surely most vegetables are eaten "in a meal". Why is frozen fruit so bad that it increases one's risk by 17%? Elsewhere it is claimed that frozen fruit and vegetables can be better than fresh, because fresh are actually comparatively stale. Other studies have found that pulses are hugely beneficial, but here they only rate -5. Are prunes tinned in apple juice really inferior to prunes cooked at home - often with some kind of sweetening? Is a tomato a fruit, vegetable or salad?
I think this study, at any rate as reported here, just muddies the waters and discourages healthy eating.