USDA’s food assistance programs serve one in six Americans each year. Slightly over half of the recipients are children, and about 20 percent are elderly or disabled. Americans’ Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables Has Increased Somewhat Under Federal Policy, Guidance, and Education Programs for the General Public

Under current federal policy, guidance, and nutrition education programs, the consumption of fruits and vegetables by the general public as a whole has increased somewhat, yet most Americans consume fruits and vegetables below recommended levels. Moreover, the April 2002 announcement by HHS and USDA to expand 5 A Day may further encourage Americans to consume the recommended 5 to 9 daily servings. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is not a primary focus, yet it is part of USDA’s nutrition education efforts under these programs. Some of these efforts—such as expanding nutrition education—would require additional federal resources, while others—such as emphasizing an evaluation of nutrition education efforts, expanding DOD Fresh, promoting salad bars in schools, and expanding farmers’ markets for WIC and the elderly—may only require redirecting existing federal resources. To ensure that federal nutrition education/intervention and food assistance programs promote federal goals and guidelines on the consumption of fruits and vegetables, we further recommend that the Secretary of Agriculture include in the department’s strategic and performance plans, strategies and targets supporting the Healthy People 2010 objectives for fruit and vegetable consumption, the Secretary of Health and Human Services direct the National Institutes of Health, CDC, and other relevant agencies to include in their performance plans, strategies and targets for supporting the Healthy People 2010 objectives for fruit and vegetable consumption, and the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services consider the actions that experts and others have identified to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables and, for those deemed most promising, assess the merits, feasibility, and costs to determine whether the actions should be implemented.
What GAO Found

Fruits and vegetables are a critical source of nutrients and other substances that help protect against chronic diseases. Yet fewer than one in four Americans consumes the 5 to 9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Fruit and vegetable consumption by the general public as a whole has increased by about half a serving under key federal nutritional policy, guidance, and educational programs, as shown by the national consumption data compiled by federal agencies. But key federal food assistance programs have had mixed effects on fruit and vegetables consumption, as shown by national consumption data. However, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is not a primary focus of these programs, which are intended to reduce hunger and support agriculture. A number of actions the federal government could take to encourage more Americans to consume the recommended daily servings have been identified. These include expanding nutrition education efforts, such as the 5 A Day Program; modifying the special supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children to allow participants to choose from more of those fruits and vegetables; expanding the use of the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Project in schools; and expanding farmers' market programs for food assistance participants. These options could require additional resources or redirecting resources from other programs.