Understanding Fruit and Vegetable Choices—Research Briefs

Joanne F. Guthrie

Agriculture Information Bulletin No. (AIB792) , November 2004

USDA's Food Guide Pyramid recommends 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables daily. As a member of the 5-A-Day public-private partnership, USDA partners with other government agencies and private sector groups to promote the health benefits of fruits and vegetable. Yet consumption of these healthy foods still does not meet dietary recommendations. How can we better understand the reasons for the persistent difficulty in increasing produce consumption? This series of research briefs provides information on the economic, social, and behavioral factors influencing consumers' fruit and vegetable choices.

Keywords: Fruits, vegetables, food consumption trends, food costs, food expenditures, food assistance programs, National School Lunch Program, child nutrition, produce, ERS, USDA

In this series ...

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• Understanding Fruit and Vegetable Choices Economic and Behavioral Influences (AIB792-1)

• U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Who, What, Where, and How Much (AIB792-2)

• What Determines the Variety of a Household’s Vegetable Purchases? (AIB792-3)

• How Much Do Americans Pay for Fruits and Vegetables? (AIB792-4)

• Low-Income Households’ Expenditures on Fruits and Vegetables (AIB792-5)

• The USDA Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program Evaluation (AIB792-6)

• Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Looking Ahead to 2020 (AIB792-7)

Updated date: November 4, 2004