increasing fruit and vegetable consumption through the ...empowering youth with nutrition and...

Increasing Fruit andVegetable Consumptionthrough the USDA NutritionAssistance Programs

A PROGRESS REPORT

United States Department of Agriculture

Food and Nutrition Service

Acknowledgements

This report was prepared by Jean M. Altman, M.S., NutritionServices Staff, Office of Research, Nutrition, and Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Theauthor would like to thank the Food and Nutrition Service staff whoreviewed and provided content for this report: Judy Wilson, AnitaSingh, Jane Mandell, Elaine McLaughlin, Donna Johnson-Bailey,Donna Blum-Kemelor, John Endahl, Anne Bartholomew, DonnaHines, Clara French, Lori French, Clare Miller, Bill Wagoner, YiboWood, Gerry Howell, David Leggett. Alice Lockett, Melissa Walker,and Chris Kocsis.

U.S. Department of AgricultureFood and Nutrition ServiceOffice of Research, Nutrition, and AnalysisNutrition Services StaffMarch 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Purpose of the Report Overview of Fruit and Vegetable Related Issues

Policy, Guidance, and Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4MyPyramid for KidsFood Stamp Nutrition Education Guiding PrinciplesTeam Nutrition Guidance HealthierUS School ChallengeLocal Wellness PolicyFood, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Worksite Wellness

Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Food Stamp ProgramFood Stamp Nutrition EducationSpecial Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Child Nutrition ProgramsFresh Fruit and Vegetable ProgramFood Distribution ProgramsFood Distribution Program on Indian ReservationsCommodity Supplemental Food Program

Nutrition Education and Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Loving Your Family Feeding Their FutureEat Smart. Play Hard.™ Materials and Resources Team Nutrition Materials and Resources WIC Program

Partnerships and Collaborations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14State Nutrition Action Plans Take Action: Promote Fruits and Vegetables in Your Workplace and CommunityEmpowering Youth with Nutrition and Physical Activity National Fruit and Vegetable PartnershipDepartment of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16WIC Special Project GrantsTeam Nutrition Training Grant

Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Availability of Fresh Produce in Nutrition Assistance ProgramsSchool Lunch Salad BarsSchool Nutrition Dietary Assessment III

Emerging Initiatives and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20FNS Core MessagesNew or Updated Team Nutrition Resources

2 Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption through the USDA Nutrition Assistance Programs

IntroductionThe United States Departmentof Agriculture (USDA) worksto improve eating and lifestylebehaviors as a preventiveapproach to reducing diet-related health problems amongAmericans. Each year, theUSDA nutrition assistance programs serve one in fiveAmericans and provideincreased access to foods andnutrition education to low-income populations. Theseprograms play a vital role inpromoting dietary and physicalactivity behaviors that areconsistent with the current recommendations of the 2005Dietary Guidelines for Americans(DGAs) and the MyPyramidfood guidance system.

The DGAs provide science-based guidelines for food policy, food benefits, andnutrition education providedthrough the Federal nutritionassistance programs. The 2005DGA Advisory CommitteeReport stated that “greater consumption of fruits and vegetables (5-13 servings or 21/2- 61/2 cups per daydepending on calorie needs) is associated with a reducedrisk of stroke and perhapsother cardiovascular diseases,

with a reduced risk of cancersin certain sites (oral cavity andpharynx, larynx, lung, esopha-gus, stomach, and colon-rec-tum), and with a reduced riskof type 2 diabetes (vegetablesmore than fruit).* Moreover,increased consumption offruits and vegetables may be auseful component of programsdesigned to achieve and sus-tain weight loss.”*

While there appears to besome, albeit small, increase infruit and vegetable consump-tion since 2002, there is stillan appreciable gap betweencurrent fruit and vegetableintakes and those recommendedin the 2005 DGAs andMyPyramid food guidance system. The 2005 DGAsincreased the recommendedintake of fruit and vegetableconsumption to 2 cups of fruitand 2-1/2 cups of vegetablesper day for a reference 2,000-calorie diet.* Research showsthat average consumption offruits and vegetables amongthe adult population is 2 to 21/2 cup equivalents per dayand among school children isapproximately 2 cup equiva-lents per day.* The DGAs alsoencourage consumers to

3Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption through the USDA Nutrition Assistance Programs

choose a variety of fruits andvegetables each day: in particu-lar, select from all five veg-etable subgroups (dark green,orange, legumes, starchy veg-etables, and other vegetables)several times a week.

MyPyramid, the new interactivefood guidance system releasedby USDA in 2005, translatedthe recommendations into aneasy-to-use tool that consumerscan use to develop an individ-ualized plan and to track their progress. MyPyramid was

developed to deliver the mes-sages of the Dietary Guidelinesand to make Americans awareof the vital health benefits ofsimple and modest improve-ments in nutrition, physicalactivity and lifestyle behavior.

This report summarizes theactions and initiatives imple-mented since 2002 to increasefruit and vegetable consump-tion among participants in thenutrition assistance programs.

The following areas addressedare policy, guidance, and ini-tiatives, programs, nutritioneducation and promotion, col-laboration and coordination,grants, reports, and emerginginitiatives and resources.

Each year, the USDA nutrition assistance programs serve one in five Americans and provide increasedaccess to foods and nutrition education to low-income populations.

* The Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005, http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/default.htm


MyPyramid for Kids MyPyramid forKids, released in2005, and itsrelated educa-tional materialsare designed to

help children 6 to 11 years oldmake healthy eating and physicalactivity choices. The resourcesinclude lesson plans, activities,and games that are designed toimprove kids’ skills and motiva-tion to eat a variety of fruits andvegetables as a part of an overallhealthy diet. One of the lessons for kids in grades 1 and 2, VaryYour Veggies and Focus on Fruits,includes activities that help kidsidentify fruits and vegetables intheir diet and maintain a fruit and vegetable diary. http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

Food Stamp NutritionEducation Guiding Principles

The Food StampNutrition Education(FSNE) GuidingPrinciples, released in 2005, are the prod-

uct of one of several initiatives tostrengthen nutrition education inthe Food Stamp Program (FSP).The Guiding Principles encourageStates to focus their FSNE effortson three behavior outcomesincluding eating the recommendedamounts of fruits and vegetables.Approaches for improving theoverall quality and focus of FSNE are also provided.http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/

With the release of the 2005 DGAs and the MyPyramid foodguidance system, the Agency began a review of current foodand nutrition policies, guidance, and initiatives in order to alignthem with the new recommendations. As a result, current policyand guidance documents are being updated and new initiativesare being developed, as appropriate, that promote fruits and vegetables.

Policy, Guidance, and Initiatives


Team Nutrition Guidance Team Nutrition isan initiative thatsupports theChild NutritionPrograms throughtraining and tech-

nical assistance for foodservice,nutrition education for childrenand their caregivers, and schooland community support forhealthy eating and physical activity.

Examples of Team Nutrition initia-tives that encourage schools andothers to promote a healthy nutri-tion environment can be seen at:http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

HealthierUS School Challenge –Recognizing NutritionExcellence in Schools

recognizes ele-mentary schoolsthat take a lead-ership role inhelping students

learn to make healthful eating andactive lifestyle choices. Elementaryschools that meet the USDA crite-ria to improve school meals, suchas increased offerings of fruits and vegetables, and to address thenutrition environment in theschool can become certified aseither Bronze, Silver or Gold TeamNutrition Schools. As of April 1,2008, 172 Gold and 34 Silverawards have been given to elemen-tary schools across the Nation.http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/HealthierUS/index.html

Local Wellness Policywas established under the ChildNutrition and WIC ReauthorizationAct of 2004. It requires schools todevelop local wellness policies thatinclude establishing nutritionguidelines for all foods available inschools, with the objective of pro-moting student health and reduc-ing childhood obesity. The nutri-tion guidelines should includeways to increase access to fruitsand vegetables.http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthy-schools.html

Food, Nutrition, andConsumer Services WorksiteWellness

The Food, Nutrition, andConsumer Services (FNCS)Worksite Wellness Program, estab-lished in 2003, was designed toassist and support FNCS employ-ees in achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It promoteshealthy lifestyle behaviors includ-ing increased fruit and vegetableconsumption, and preventivehealth screenings.http://home.fnsnet/OANE/wellness/default.htm


Programs

Food Stamp Program (FSP) The FoodStampProgram isthe Nation’sfirst line ofdefenseagainst

hunger and the cornerstone of allFederal nutrition assistance pro-grams. It provides benefits to qualified low-income families andindividuals of all ages for the purchase of nutritious food. ManyState and local Food StampNutrition Education (FSNE) effortshave resulted in creative interven-tions such as California’s statewidefruit and vegetable promotioncampaign and Iowa’s Pick a BetterSnack™ campaign that promotesfruits and vegetables as snacks.http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/

The goal of the Food StampNutrition Education

component isto improvethe likelihoodthat personseligible for theFood StampProgram will

make healthy choices within alimited budget and choose activelifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines forAmericans and MyPyramid. FSNEState Plan Guidance encouragesStates to use effective nutritioneducation tools and strategies,engage in cross-program collabo-ration, and focus their efforts on asmall set of behavior outcomesthat include eating fruits and vegetables.http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/nutrition_education/default.htm

The USDA Federal nutrition assistance programs provided about $10 billion annually in support of fruit and vegetable consumption in Fiscal Year 2005. These funds support the pur-chase and distribution of fruits and vegetables by USDA toschools, food banks, and other program providers; purchase anduse by programs providers through the Child Nutrition Programs,and participants’ purchases in the marketplace through FoodStamps, WIC, and the farmer’s market nutrition programs.

Additionally, messages and materials that encourage consump-tion of fruits and vegetables are a part of USDA’s $600 millionnutrition education and promotion effort. The following nutri-tion assistance programs provide access to those fruits andvegetables in various ways.


The Special SupplementalNutrition Program for Women,Infants, and Children (WIC)The WIC Program provides nutri-tious foods, nutrition education,

and referrals tohealth and othersocial services toparticipants. WIC serves low-income pregnant,postpartum and

breastfeeding women, infants, andchildren up to age 5 who are atnutritional risk. WIC nutritioneducation emphasizes the relation-ship between nutrition and health,and fruit and vegetable consump-tion are promoted as part of acomplete diet. The 2005 DietaryGuidelines and the My Pyramidcomprise the nutrition educationresource foundation used by WIC

USDA Purchases/DistributionEntitlement purchases for schools $159.1Entitlement purchases for household programs (FDPIR, TEFAP, CSFP) $100.4Bonus purchases (to all programs) $129.0Department of Defense “DOD Fresh” distribution $53.9

Purchase and Use by Program Providers*School meals – Reimbursements (estimated) $1,823.2School-Based Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program $9.0Child and Adult Care Food Program – Reimbursements (estimated) $434.2Summer Food Service Program – reimbursements (estimated) $55.6

Marketplace Purchases by Participants with Program Benefits*Food Stamp Program (estimated) $6,206.4WIC Program/WIC Farmer’s Market Program/Senior’s Farmer’s Market Program (estimated) $969.1

TOTAL $9,932.7*Includes a portion of administrative support fundingNote: Totals include fruit and vegetable juices.

Venue FY05 Support (millions of dollars)

Continued

to emphasize the importance offruit and vegetable consumption.The WIC Works Resource System,www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks, con-tains State-agency developednutrition education resourcesincluding those that encourageincreased fruit and vegetable consumption.

On December 6,2007, an interimfinal rule was pub-lished in the FederalRegister that revisesthe WIC food pack-ages. The revisions

align the WIC food packages withthe 2005 Dietary Guidelines forAmericans and infant feeding prac-tice guidelines of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics. Changes tothe food packages include theaddition of fruits and vegetables to

the food packages for women andchildren, and the addition of infantfood fruits and vegetables to thefood package for infants 6-12months of age. State agencies mustimplement the provisions no laterthan October 1, 2009. http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/


Programscontinued

WIC Farmers’ MarketNutrition Program (FMNP)

providesfresh,unprepared,locallygrown fruitsand vegeta-

bles to WIC participants, andexpands awareness, use of, andsales at farmers’ markets.Currently, 46 State agencies operatethe FMNP. In fiscal year 2006, 2.5million WIC participants receivedfarmers' market benefits. For FY2006 and 2007, $19.8 million wasappropriated for the FMNP.http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FMNP/FMNPfaqs.htm

Senior Farmers’ MarketNutrition Program (SFMNP)provides low-income seniors withcoupons that can be exchangedfor fresh fruits, vegetables and

herbs atauthorizedfarmers’ mar-kets, roadsidestands, orthroughCommunity

Supported Agriculture organiza-tions. In FY 2007, SFMNP operat-ed in 35 States, 6 tribal organiza-tions, Puerto Rico, and the Districtof Columbia with an appropria-tion of $15 million.http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/FactSheets/SFMNP_Quick_Facts.htm

Child Nutrition Programs (CNP)The Child Nutrition Programsinclude the National School LunchProgram (and afterschool snacks),School Breakfast Program,Summer Food Service Program,and the Child and Adult CareFood Program. The ChildNutrition Programs provide nutri-tionally balanced, low-cost or freemeals and snacks and include avariety of fruits and vegetables as a vital component. Currently themeal patterns are being reviewedto reflect the 2005 DietaryGuidelines for Americans. TeamNutrition provides nutrition serv-ices for these programs throughtraining and technical assistance tofood services, nutrition educationfor children and their caregiversand school and community sup-port for healthy eating and physi-cal activity.http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/

Fresh Fruit and VegetableProgram (FFVP) provides free,fresh fruits and vegetables anddried fruits to children in selectedschools participating in theNational School Lunch Program.

Food Distribution ProgramsFood Distribution Programs(FDD) provide food and nutritionassistance to eligible individuals,families, and institutions by pro-

viding USDAcommoditiesto theSchools/ChildNutrition

Commodity Programs,Commodity Processing,Commodity Supplemental FoodProgram, Food Assistance inDisaster Situations, FoodDistribution Program on IndianReservations. Nutrition ServicesIncentive Program, and TheEmergency Food AssistanceProgram, as well as access to freshfruits and vegetables through theDepartment of Defense FreshProgram. FNS works with USDA’sAgricultural Marketing Service topurchase and distribute commodi-ties such as fruits and vegetablesto the FDD programs. Recipesusing fruit and vegetable com-modities can be found on theFDD website.http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/pro-grams/default.htm


Food Distribution Program onIndian Reservations (FDPIR)provides commodity foods to low-income households, including theelderly, living on Indian reserva-tions, and to Native Americanfamilies residing in designatedareas near reservations. Currently,there are approximately 243 tribesreceiving benefits under the FDPIR through 98 Indian TribalOrganizations and five State agen-cies. The FDPIR package containsa wide variety of fruits and vegetables including juices.http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/pro-grams/fdpir/default.htm

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) providescommodity foods to supplementthe diets of low-income pregnantand breastfeeding women, othernew mothers up to 1 year postpar-tum, infants, children up to age 6,and elderly people at least 60years of age. The CSFP food pack-age contains a variety of fruits andvegetables including juices.http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/pro-grams/csfp/default.htm

Department of Defense FreshFruit and Vegetable ProgramAs part of an initiative to offerschools and Indian Tribes a widervariety of fresh produce, USDAcreated the Department of Defense(DOD) Fresh Fruit and VegetableProgram. Under this program,USDA uses commodity programfunds to reimburse DOD for the purchase of fresh fruits andvegetables for schools and IndianTribes. The Fresh Fruit andVegetable Program began in 1995as a pilot project with a smallnumber of States, and quicklygrew to $25 million in purchasesfor schools and $3 million in pur-chases for Indian Tribes by FY2001. The Farm Security andRural Investment Act of 2002directed USDA to spend a total of$50 million for schools through

FY 2007. In FY 2006, the programserved schools in 46 States, PuertoRico, the District of Columbia,Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Anadditional $3.1 million in producewas purchased through the pro-gram for 99 Indian Tribes. TwentyStates, Puerto Rico, the District ofColumbia, Guam, and the VirginIslands also used non-commodityfunds provided through theNational School Lunch Program topurchase an additional $22 millionin fresh produce directly from DOD.http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/dod/default.htm


Nutrition Education and Promotion

Loving Your Family (LYF)Feeding Their Future:Nutrition Education Throughthe Food Stamp Program

Loving Your FamilyFeeding Their Future:Nutrition EducationThrough the Food StampProgram, released in June2007, provides educa-tional and promotional

materials designed to convey themessages in the 2005 DietaryGuidelines for Americans (DGAs)and MyPyramid in a user-friendly,culturally-appropriate format thatappeals to low-literate andSpanish-language audiences.

Major components of the LYF initiative are:• Staff handbook and discussionsessions for educators including adiscussion session “Fruit andVegetable Simple Solutions.”• English and Spanish participanteducation materials to reinforce thelessons (brochure, guidebook,handouts, and black and whitereproducibles); and trainingresources for staff.

• Online education module fornutrition educators who work forthe food stamp population andother similar low-income audiences.The Module features are: self paced,learning interactions, live links toWeb; and audio testimonies.http://foodstamp.nal.usda.gov/fns

Eat Smart. Play Hard™Materials and Resources

Eat Smart. PlayHard.™ is across-programcampaign thatprovides practi-cal suggestionsto help educa-

tors motivate children ages 8 to 10and their caregivers to eat healthyand be physically active. The cam-paign includes a focus on fruits andvegetables as part of a healthy break-fast and as quick, easy, and tastysnacks. The campaign resources areaccessible through the website with a component for educators,parents/caregivers, and children.http://www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhard/

To support State and local programs and to facilitate andencourage science-based approaches, FNS makes a variety ofresources available. These nutrition education and promotionresources and initiatives encourage consumption of fruits andvegetables as part of an overall healthy diet.


The campaign resources that focuson fruits and vegetables are:

Taste the Colors Power PlanLesson designed for children ages3 to 4 and exposes children to thesight, smell, taste, shape, and textureof different fruits and vegetables.

Snack Smart Power PlanLesson targets children ages 5 to 7 and focuses on getting them to identify and prepare healthysnacks including fruits and vegetables.

Let’s Go on a Snack HuntActivity Sheet builds the skills ofchildren ages 4 to 6 in identifyingfruits and vegetables as snacks.

Eat Smart. Play Hard.™Activity and Sticker Book is amultipurpose activity and stickerbook designed to help childrenages 6 to 8 develop healthy habitsincluding eating fruits and vegeta-bles early in life. It also helps them to develop cognitive andreading skills.

Continued


Nutrition Education and Promotion Initiativescontinued

Team Nutrition Materials and Resources

“Eat more fruits,vegetables, andwhole grains” isone of the fiveTeam Nutrition(TN) messages.

TN promotes increased consump-tion of fruits and vegetablesthrough a variety of nutrition edu-cation and technical materials forschool foodservice personnel, students, and parents. They canbe found on the TN website. http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

TN resources addressing fruits andvegetables include:

Team Up at Home:TeamNutrition Activity Booklet(2007) is a collection of hands-onnutrition education activities forparents to use with their elemen-tary school-age children thatreflect the (DGAs) and MyPyramidfor Kids. This 36 page activitybooklet is designed for home andcommunity use. It contains a section on “Focus on Fruits andVary Your Veggies” with games and puzzles. http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/library.html

Nutrition Essentials (2007) is a series of lessons that help teensmake healthful eating and physicalactivity choices that include fruitsand vegetables. NutritionEssentials contains five posters:Food for a Day, How Much Do YouEat, Move It, MyPyramid, and ReadIt. Nutrition Essentials alsoincludes an interactive CD,NutritionDecision, with games andnutrition education information.http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/library.html


Fruits and Vegetables Galore:Helping Kids Eat More (2004)is a tool for child nutrition food-service professionals packed withtips on planning, purchasing, pro-tecting, preparing, presenting andpromoting fruits and vegetables.Schools and child care centers useFruits and Vegetables Galore to helprejuvenate their cafeterias with colorful fruits and vegetables anddress up their serving lines toencourage children to make theseselections. It also contains teachingtools to support classroom educa-tional efforts. http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/library.html

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Partnerships andCollaborations

The State Nutrition ActionPlans (SNAP) process encourages and facilitatescoordination and collaboration onnutrition education and promotionefforts among FNS Programs with-in each State. The SNAP processencourages each State to identifyat least one common nutrition goalbased on the four key FNS priori-ties that include promotion offruits and vegetables. Sub-goalsunder that area include: 1) Promote consumption of fruitsand vegetables through partner-ships and collaborative interven-tions between the nutrition assis-tance programs and other relatedgroups and 2) Increase awarenessof the importance of fruit and veg-etable consumption through socialmarketing campaigns targetingpersons eligible for FNS Programs.Since 2003, 48 States have formu-lated a SNAP and 13 States identi-fied promoting increased con-sumption of fruits and vegetablesas one of their goals.http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/SNAP/SNAP.htm

Take Action: Promote Fruitsand Vegetables in YourWorkplace and Community is aWeb-based document that guidesand encourages State and localagency staff to take action toincrease consumption of fruits andvegetables in the workplace, com-munity, and at home. It providesready-to-go tips and activities thatcan be implemented in varioussettings and provide links to testedresources.http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/

FNS has built and enhanced strong working relationships withpartners and collaborators with the mutual goal of providingFNS program participants with increased access to, and con-sumption of, fruits and vegetables. These partnerships and collaborations include:

Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption through the USDA Nutrition Assistance Programs


National Fruit and VegetablePartnership

(formerly theNational 5 A DayPartnership) -USDA and the

Department of Health and HumanServices are engaged in an on-going collaboration with othernational partners to promote theincrease of fruit and vegetable consumption. In 2002, severalorganizations entered into aMemorandum of Understandingincluding USDA, the NationalCancer Institute, and the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention.Staff contribute to the Partnership’sSteering Committee and Sub-Committee and work as part ofthe Government OversightCommittee of the National 5 ADay Partnership for Better Health.

Empowering Youth withNutrition and Physical Activitywas developed as a collaborativeinitiative between FNS, theCenters for Disease Control andPrevention, and 100 Black Men ofAmerica, Inc. to teach youth to actas change agents for healthiercommunities. First released in2005, the curriculum includespractical strategies for addingphysical activity and nutritioneducation into classrooms andother youth activities. It encour-ages youth to increase fruit andvegetable consumption through avariety of activities such as tastetests, simple food preparation, andparticipation in group projects anddiscussions. The publication wasupdated in 2007 for use in ChildNutrition Programs serving youth.http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/library.html


WIC Special Project Grants provide funding for State projectsof regional or national significanceto improve the services of the pro-gram. These grants address issuesof critical and timely importance.The results of the projects arewidely disseminated so that otherState and local agencies may repli-cate projects and use the results toimprove services.http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/menu/DemoProjects/WICSPG/WICSPG.htm

The following WIC Special ProjectGrants address fruit and vegetableconsumption. Final results of the3-year grants are not yet available.

• 2005 – Oregon: ImprovingFruit and VegetableConsumption of Pre-schoolChildren. The focus of thegrant is to determine whethermotivational interviewing hasan effect on parents offeringmore fruits and vegetables totheir pre-school (2 to 4 year-old) WIC children.

• 2005 – Vermont: NurturingFamilies’ Appetite for Fruitsand Vegetables. The projectdeveloped, implemented, andevaluated a behavioral assess-

ment and counseling methodto increase fruit and veg-etable consumption amongWIC families.

• 2005 – Washington, DC:Effectiveness ofMotivational InterviewingCounseling Techniques toIncrease Fruit andVegetable Consumption.The project explores theeffectiveness of motivationalinterviewing counseling tech-niques in increasing fruit andvegetable consumption.

• 2004 – California:Implementing andEvaluating a ComprehensiveLearner-Centered Programto Promote Fruit andVegetable Intake AmongWIC Children and TheirFamilies. The project testedthe effectiveness of the learn-er-centered approach to WICgroup education comparedto the traditional, moredidactic approach in increas-ing fruit and vegetable con-sumption in approximately1,600 primary caregivers ofWIC families.

GrantsTo encourage and test innovative, science-based approaches,FNS makes competitive grants available to States. Several ofthese grants have explored ways to increase fruit and vegetableconsumption among program participants.


Team Nutrition (TN) TrainingGrants for Healthy School Mealsallow State agencies to establish orenhance sustainable infrastructures

for implement-ing TN. Many ofthe grants havefocused onimproving fruitand vegetable

consumption of students.http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/grants.html

Many grantees have included afruit and vegetable aspect to theirprojects. Examples include:

• Kentucky: The Statefocused on improving childcare centers' capacity in pro-viding healthier meals andsnacks by educating centersto serve more fresh fruits andvegetables.

• Missouri: This projectaddressed increasing chil-dren's consumption of fruitand vegetables, and promot-ing nutrition and physicalactivity policies at schoolsand child care facilities.

• Montana: The State sup-ported and recognizedschools and childcare pro-grams that offered menusthat include whole grains,fresh fruits and vegetables,and low-fat entrée and dairy choices.

• Connecticut: This State pro-vided training to child nutri-tion foodservice professionalsto increase the presence offruits and vegetables inschools meals.

• Indiana: This projectinvolved classroom teachersconducting classroom learn-ing activities to study differ-ent fruits and vegetables thatwere served as part of theschool lunch that week.

• Kansas: This grant providedmini-grants to 4th and 6thgrade classrooms to promotestudents’ fruit and vegetableconsumption in a programcalled “Power Panther Pals.”


Reports

2002 - Availability of FreshProduce in NutritionAssistance ProgramsThis report describes the FNSnutrition assistance programs thatprovide food or benefits that sup-ports the consumption of fruitsand vegetables. It estimates thecurrent levels of fruits and vegeta-bles distributed through the FNSprograms, as well as the percent-age of the dollar value of donatedcommodities that are fresh. Thereport also examines barriers toincreasing fruit and vegetable pur-chases through the conventionalUSDA commodity donation pro-gram and efforts to increase theavailability of fresh fruits and veg-etables to various outlets throughthe Department of Defense.http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/

2002 – School Lunch Salad BarsThis report compares the availabil-ity of fruits and vegetables inschools with and without saladbars using data from the SchoolNutrition Dietary AssessmentStudy, Part II (SNDA-II), whichwere collected during School Year1998-99. SNDA-II data examinethe choice and variety of foodsoffered at salad bars, but not thequantity in a typical serving or theamount consumed. Key findingsnote that a wide range of fruitsand vegetables are available insalad bars including fresh andcanned products; and schools with salad bars offer a wider variety of fruits and vegetables than other schools.http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/

FNS periodically assesses and publishes reports regarding operational practices and procedures at the federal, State, and local levels that influence or are related to fruit and vegetable consumption.


School Nutrition DietaryAssessment Study III (SNDA III) continues the assessment of thenutrient content of school mealsincluding fruits and vegetables.The study was released inNovember 2007 and updatesinformation in five areas of interest to policymakers: charac-teristics of the school environmentand school food service opera-tions; nutritional quality of mealsoffered and served in the schoolmeal programs; student participa-tion, participant characteristics,satisfaction, and related attitudestoward the school lunch andbreakfast program; and studentdietary intakes and the contribu-tion of school meals to thesedietary intakes.http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/menu/Published/research.htm


FNS Core Messages FNS is developing core nutrition messages that encourage the increasedintake of fruits and vegetables. The target audiences for these messages arelow-income mothers and school-aged children ages 8 to 10. A work-group, consisting of 14 representatives from FNS programs, governmentpartners, and external stakeholders, is guiding the development of thecore messages. The messages and supporting materials will be used, asappropriate, in the nutrition assistance programs through a variety ofcommunication tools (e.g., print, public service announcements, electronic media and other channels).

Emerging Initiatives and Resources

Initiatives are currently in development that support,promote, or encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables:


New or Updated TeamNutrition Resources:

Grow It, Try It, Like It!Preschool Fun with Fruits andVegetables (2005)is a tool kit for educators to use tointroduce young children (ages 3 to 5) to new fruits and vegetables.The materials focus on three fruitsand three vegetables. Designed foruse in child care or kindergarten,the kit contains a video; short,simple lesson plans and take-home materials with family-sizerecipes and parent/child activitiesabout the food.

Eat Smart – Farm Fresh!(2005) provides school food serv-ice personnel with practical advice

on how tobuy andserve locallygrown pro-duce inschoolmeals. Theguidebookfocuses onprocure-

ment, types and examples of farm-to-school distribution models,how to find locally grown foodand farmers, menu planning con-siderations, and strategies for success. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Guidance/default.htm

The following publications arebeing revised to reflect the 2005Dietary Guidelines for Americansand MyPyramid:

Nibbles for Health:NutritionNewsletters for Parents ofYoung Children (revised 2007)

developed forchild carecenter staffand parents ofyoung chil-dren enrolledin child care

centers. This kit offers guidance onconducting discussions with parentsin four "sharing sessions" withaccompanying posters. The con-sumption of fruits and vegetables isencouraged in some of the newslet-ters, addressing issues such assnacks, beverage choices, picnicfoods, and gardening. http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/library.html

The Power of Choice: HelpingYouth Make Healthy Eating and Fitness Decisions (revised2007) targets after-school program

leaders work-ing with youngadolescents.Middle schoolteachers canuse it also. The publicationincludes an

interactive session that focuses onchoosing healthy snack optionsthat include fruits and vegetableswith tips.http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/library.html

Two Bite Club; formerly Go,Glow, Grow Foods for You (willbe available in 2008) is a nutri-tion storybook for children ages 3to 4 for use by parents, teachers,and caregivers. The book focuseson MyPyramid for Kids and eatinga variety of foods including fruitsand vegetables.

Continued


Food and Nutrition Servicewww.fns.usda.gov

Non-Discrimination Policy

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discriminationin all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status,familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, geneticinformation, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of anindividual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabil-ities who require alternative means for communication of programinformation (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contactUSDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Officeof Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC20250-9410 or call (800) 759-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.


Food and Nutrition Service3101 Park Center Drive, Rm. 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302

increasing fruit and vegetable consumption through the ...empowering youth with nutrition and...

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