Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Missouri

Missouri

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults consume two cups of fruits and two and a half cups of vegetables daily. Diets high in fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and prevent some types of cancer. Roughly half of all adults in the U.S. suffer from preventable chronic diseases related to poor diet and physical inactivity. 

Barriers to regular consumption of fruits and vegetables include cost, lack of access to fresh produce, concerns of spoilage, perceived lack of preparation time and lack of cooking knowledge. Additionally, some Americans live in areas identified as food deserts, where access to nutritious foods is limited. 

The estimated annual costs from unhealthy diets resulting in medical expenses and lower productivity are $1.1 trillion.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of fruit and vegetable consumption is higher among:

• Women compared with men.
• Adults ages 18-44 compared with those age 65 and older.
• College graduates compared with adults with lower educational attainment.
• Adults with an annual household income of $75,000 or more compared with those who have lower incomes.
• Adults living in metropolitan areas compared with those in nonmetropolitan areas.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers strategies for states and communities to improve access to fruits and vegetables, including:

• Adopting policies to ensure access to fruits and vegetables in workplace cafeterias. 
• Encouraging farm-to-institution programs in schools, hospitals, workplaces and child care centers. 
• Expanding new and existing farmers markets for direct access to seasonal fruits and vegetables.
• Improving access to and availability of fruits and vegetables at local grocery stores. States with a higher density of healthy food retailers, farmers markets and particularly farmers markets that accept nutrition-assistance program benefits report higher consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Funding is available from the USDA for projects that establish healthy retail outlets or otherwise improve food access in underserved areas. The USDA provides an interactive tool to identify low-income and low-access areas at the census tract level and individual-level resources for improving one's diet. Additionally, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can provide nutrition education and a monthly dollar amount to increase fruit and vegetable consumption for eligible households. 

Additionally, states, localities and organizations can either modify and expand current programs to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, or they can introduce new fruit and vegetable voucher incentives and produce prescription programs.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force also suggests implementing community-based digital health interventions such as coaching and counseling, social support, educational tools and goal-setting to promote increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

Healthy People 2030 has multiple objectives related to nutrition and healthy eating, including increasing fruit consumption among people age two and older and increasing vegetable consumption among people age two and older.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Strategies to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases: The CDC Guide to Strategies to Increase the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables.” Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/21639.

Hollis-Hansen, Kelseanna, Kathryn M. Janda, Marisa Tiscareño, Claire Filipowicz, and Alexandra van den Berg. “Objective and Perceived Barriers and Facilitators of Daily Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Under-Resourced Communities in Central Texas.” Appetite 176 (n.d.): 106130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106130.

Singleton, Chelsea R., Sydney Fouché, Rucha Deshpande, Angela Odoms-Young, Corey Chatman, and Connie Spreen. “Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Farmers’ Market Incentive Programme Users in Illinois, USA.” Public Health Nutrition 21, no. 7 (February 19, 2018): 1345–49. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018000101.

The Rockefeller Foundation. “True Cost of Food Measuring What Matters to Transform the U.S. Food System.” The Rockefeller Foundation, July 2024. https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/report/true-cost-of-food-measuring-what-matters-to-transform-the-u-s-food-system/.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, December 2020. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf.

Whitacre, Paula Tarnapol, Peggy Tsai, and Janet Mulligan. The Public Health Effects of Food Deserts: Workshop Summary. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK208016/.