Reports
How Much Do Fruits and Vegetables Cost?USDA. Economic Research Service.
Report uses 2008 Nielsen Homescan data to estimate fruit and vegetable, and estimates the cost of satisfying recommendations for adult vegetable and fruit consumption in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Direct link to Summary (PDF 496 KB), and Full Report (PDF 2.28 MB). February 2011.
Are Lower Income Households Willing and Able To Budget for Fruits and Vegetables?
USDA. Economic Research Service.
Households have a number of needs and wants that all compete for scarce resources. Given this situation, are low-income households, in particular, generally willing and able to budget for healthful foods like fruits and vegetables, or are other goods and services, including other foods, more of a priority?
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults --- United States, 2005DHHS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Report using data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to provide fruit and vegetable consumption data for adults in the United States.
Price Trends Are Similar for Fruits, Vegetables, and Snack Foods
USDA. Economic Research Service.
An increase in the price of fruits and vegetables relative to less healthy foods could reduce consumers' incentives to purchase fruits and vegetables and result in less healthy diets. For commonly consumed fresh fruits and vegetables, analysis of price trends reveals a price decline similar to that of dessert and snack foods. This price trend evidence suggests that the price of a healthy diet has not changed relative to an unhealthy one.
Younger Consumers Exhibit Less Demand for Fresh VegetablesUSDA. Economic Research Service.
Using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, this study identifies how a household's spending on fresh vegetables for at-home consumption depends on the head of household's birth cohort. People born more recently are found to spend less money for fresh vegetables than older Americans. August 2009
Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: Are Coupons More Effective than Pure Price Discounts?
USDA. Economic Research Service.
Study looks at coupons and price discounts, two methods of lowering the cost of fruits and vegetables, and uses household purchase data and a consumer demand model to examine each method. Coupons influence consumer behavior through a price-discount effect and an informational/advertising effect. Because of this dual effect, the use of a coupon to increase fruit and vegetable purchases may be more effective than a pure price-discount policy or other non-coupon promotion. June 2010
Canned Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the United States: An Updated Report to CongressUSDA. Economic Research Service.
This report relies on consumption and spending estimates to reveal attitudes of the U.S. population toward canned produce. October 2010
Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Becomes a Global PriorityFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Discusses the need for increased fruit and vegetable consumption as a function of public health.
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption by Low-Income Americans: Would a Price Reduction Make a Difference?USDA. Economic Research Service.
Americans' diets, particularly those of low-income households, fall short of Government recommendations in the quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed. Some proposals suggest that a price subsidy for those products would encourage low-income Americans to consume more of them. This study estimated that a 10-percent subsidy would encourage low-income Americans to increase their consumption of fruits by 2.1-5.2 percent and vegetables by 2.1-4.9 percent. January 2009
How Much Do Americans Pay for Fruits and Vegetables?USDA. Economic Research Service.
This analysis uses AC Nielsen Homescan data on 1999 household food purchases from all types of retail outlets to estimate an annual retail price per pound and per serving for 69 forms of fruits and 85 forms of vegetables. July 2004