Minnesota rates above average in fruit and vegetable access
When it comes to fruit and vegetable consumption indicators, Minnesota is decidedly above average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ranked by the 2018 Centers for Disease Control State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, Minnesota boasts 3.5 farmers markets per 100,000 residents, well above the national average of 2.7.
That 3.5 score is slightly higher than Michigan (3.4) but lower than Wisconsin (5.3) and well below the impressive U.S.-leading 14.9 farmers markets per 100,000 people in Vermont.
The percentage of Minnesota school districts participating in the USDA Farm to School Program was 50.6%, the report said, well above the national average of 41.8% and more than double the 22.3% score in Arkansas. The nation’s highest performer with the farm-to-school program was Rhode Island, with 90.5% of middle and high schools participating.
Relative to the percentage of middle and high schools offering salad bars, the CDC reported Minnesota scored 73.4%, nearly two-thirds higher than the U.S. average of 44.8% and more than four times higher than Florida’s score of 16.4%. At 91.2%, the top state for the percentage of salad bars in middle and high schools was North Dakota, according to the CDC.
According to the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, 2020 State Rankings Report, Minnesota ranked No. 15 among the 50 states. By category, Minnesota ranked No. 4 in overall individual well-being, trailing only Hawaii, Maryland and New Jersey. Minnesota ranked No. 4 in physical, financial and social well-being.
The state also ranked No. 3 in community and No. 5 in purpose, according to the report.
Obesity rankings
Eating better is something all Americans need to do, and Minnesota is no exception. The trends for eating well seem to be pointing in the wrong direction.
The CDC reported that 30.1% of Minnesotan over 18 were obese in 2019, up from 26.1% in 2015. That was slightly less than the U.S. average for obesity for those over 18 of 31.4% in 2019, up from 28.9% in 2015.
The CDC said the percent of Minnesota adults who report consuming fruit less than one time daily was 35.2% in 2019, up from 32.2% in 2017.
The percent of Minnesota adults who report consuming vegetables less than one time daily was 20.6% in 2019, up from 18% in 2017.
The U.S. average for adults who report consuming fruit less than one time daily was 39.2%, up from 36% in 2017.
U.S. adults who report consuming vegetables less than one time daily totaled 21% in 2019, up from 19% in 2017.
