PBH and recession impact

Here is the news release from the Produce for Better Health Foundation released earlier this week about a recent survey of consumers and how that compares to a year ago.

From PBH:


As families cut back on purchases they are also cutting back on fruits and vegetables. An annual survey of Moms, conducted by Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), the nonprofit entity behind the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters® national public health initiative, has found that although 60 percent of Moms continue to believe that their families eat too few fruits and vegetables, Moms are including less of them in meals and snacks. Reported fruit consumption has dropped 12 percent since a year ago and vegetable consumption is down 6 percent. The survey points to the nation's current economic recession for the negative impact on mother's attitudes and behaviors regarding fruits and vegetables, especially in lower income households. This is the fourth year PBH has conducted their Moms survey, and the first year a decrease in fruit and vegetable consumption has been noted. In 2006, Moms reported consuming 1.96 servings of fruits and 2.21 servings of vegetables each day. Those numbers rose to 2.17 servings of fruits and 2.3 servings of vegetables in 2007 and then to 2.71 servings of fruits and 2.48 servings of vegetables in 2008. This year's slight reduction in intake, a reported 2.38 servings of fruit and 2.32 servings of vegetables, still indicates higher consumption levels than those reported in 2007. This suggests the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters national public health initiative is having a positive effect on fruit and vegetable consumption - although one that is offset somewhat this year due to an economic downturn. Most Moms (87 percent) still believe it's important to include fruits and vegetables in their family's diet. But, citing barriers such as cost and different preferences amongst family, Moms feel they need more support. And they do-90 percent of Americans consume fewer fruits and vegetables than the recommended daily amount, which ranges from 2 to 6 ½ cups each day. "It is important to continue to eat healthy, even in tough economic times," says Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., PBH President and CEO. "Fruits and vegetables are an inexpensive part of a healthy lifestyle, and Fruits & Veggies-More Matters can show Moms how to include more, both at home and on the go." According to the survey, an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables correlates with Moms awareness of Fruits and Veggies-More Matters. To give Moms the support they need to include more, Fruits & Veggies-More Matters offers tools and advice online at www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org. The website includes tips, recipes, and other resources to help Moms make adding more fruits and vegetables to their families' diet easier-and more affordable-than they might think. For example, to stretch their food budget, Moms can tap all forms of fruits and vegetables-fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100 percent juice-to satisfy their family's healthy eating requirements. Over 300 short informational videos are also available on the website. In them, produce celebrity Michael Marks demonstrates how to check different fruits and vegetables for ripeness, outlines proper storage methods, presents healthy, fast recipe preparation, and offers many other fun and useful tidbits of information about fruits and vegetables. The survey was conducted between January 16 and January 22, 2009 by OnSurvey. Survey respondents were a nationally representative sample of women between the ages of 24 and 41, all of whom had at least one child under 18 living in their household. 1,000 women responded to the online survey. In general, a sample of this size has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. Fruits & Veggies-More Matters is a national public health initiative created to encourage Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables-fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100 percent juice. The initiative is a national call-to-action to eat more fruits and vegetables for better health. Fruits & Veggies-More Matters was launched by PBH and CDC in cooperation with other partners including the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.