SCHOOL KIDS EATING MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Students at elementary schools participating in USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program consumed 15% more fruits and vegetables than kids who didn’t participate. Eating more fruit accounted for most of the change. Almost all students tried the fruit and vegetable snacks (97% and 84% of students, respectively), and a substantial majority ate most or all of them (86% and 61%, respectively). The increase in fruit and vegetable consumption doesn’t appear to substantially increase calories in children’s diets. The report covers the 2010–2011 school year. Begun as a pilot in 2002, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in the nation’s poorest elementary schools by providing free fresh fruits and vegetables to students outside of regular school meals. The pilot was converted into a nationwide program in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Source: USDA, 4/3/13, Fruits & Vegetables