The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spends twice as much money trying to convince consumers to stay away from tobacco products as it does spending money to support fruit and vegetable consumption.
That is just one example of how the federal government fails to adequately support efforts to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to a report from the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
The report, called Fruit & Vegetable Gap Analysis: Bridging The Disparity Between Federal Spending & America’s Consumption Crisis, was produced by PBH in partnership with Nutrition On Demand, a consulting firm specializing in nutrition science, policy and communications, according to a news release.
Most Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, and the report highlighted strategies where Congress could better prioritize appropriations earmarked specifically toward spending on initiatives to boost consumption.
“To improve public health, fruit and vegetable consumption must be elevated as a national priority and commensurately funded,” Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, PBH president and CEO, said in the release. “An integrated, multisector effort, including increased spending across federal initiatives, is necessary to close the consumption gap. This gap analysis identifies the urgent need to specifically increase funding for innovative clinical and consumer research, intentional and improved access for all people, as well as inspiring and actionable ideas that create new, sustainable fruit and vegetable consumption habits.”
The analysis was previously published in 2010 and 2015. Key findings of the current report include:
- Most Americans do not consume the daily amounts of fruits and vegetables recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In addition, fruit and vegetable consumption habits are eroding over time and are not being passed from generation to generation.
- The annual economic cost of America’s pervasive and persistent fruit and vegetable consumption crisis was an alarming $98.2 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow to $137.0 billion by 2030.
- Fruit and vegetable consumption, as a primary dietary habit to support health and minimize chronic disease risk, is inadequately funded by the USDA, the National Institutes of Health and the CDC.
- Only 0.5% of USDA food and nutrition assistance programs’ budgets, combined, are allocated toward nutrition education and promotion. Funding must be increased to fight against “pervasive underconsumption” of fruits and vegetable, the report said.
- NIH projects should increasingly elevate fruit and vegetable consumption as a priority recommendation within initiatives to prevent and/or reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer, as well as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
- Congress dramatically underfunds CDC for its work to promote healthy eating, specifically fruit and vegetable consumption, compared to tobacco prevention. In fiscal years 2018 and 2019, CDC’s appropriations for tobacco prevention were almost six times those for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption.
- CDC fruit and vegetable spending should be increased to at least 30% ($63 million) of tobacco prevention spending (at $210 million). That amount, $63 million, would almost double the current spending level associated with promoting fruits and vegetables for their public health benefits ($38 million).
- Fruit and vegetable consumption must be elevated as a national priority, with increased and equitable funding across dedicated federal agencies, to support improved public health. A multisector, systems-based approach is needed to ultimately close the gap and reverse the fruit and vegetable consumption crisis.
“Fruits and vegetables are consistently underconsumed, despite their proven, essential role in promoting health and reducing the risk of chronic disease,” Shelley Maniscalco, founder and owner of Nutrition On Demand, said in the release. “Funding to promote their consumption continues to be insufficient and disproportionate across those government agencies most responsible for addressing food and nutrition insecurity in America, putting our public health at continued and severe risk. The gap analysis strives to be as transparent and detailed as possible so that it can be replicated and utilized by others to support a unified effort to improve fruit and vegetable consumption in America.”
For more information about the analysis, see the PBH website.
