The aim of this paper was to describe the change in vegetable consumption with aging and the transition to retirement. Study subjects were the participants in the GAZEL prospective cohort (Gaz and Électricité de France) aged 40-49 years at inclusion in 1989 who retired between 1991 and 2008 (12,942 men and 2,739 women). Four food-frequency questionnaires were completed from 1990 to 2009. We used multiple imputation by chained equations in order to avoid dropping incomplete cases. The odds-ratio for eating vegetables everyday was estimated as a function of aging, retirement status and the place of lunch before retirement through generalized estimating equations. Analyses were stratified by sex and models were adjusted for confounders, including current spousal status. In 1990, 17.7% of men and 31% of women reported eating vegetables daily. The odds of consuming vegetables everyday increased with aging for both men and women. The usual place of lunch was home for less than half the sample before retirement and for almost every respondent after retirement. For those who changed their place of lunch, the association between being retired and the odds of eating vegetables daily was positive and significant. We found that in this cohort, vegetable consumption increased with aging. Retirement had an indirect effect on vegetable consumption mediated by changes in the place of lunch.