Wilmington, Del. - New research says that if you restrict the availability of other, less healthy, snacks in school kids will eat more fruits and veggies all day long. The January 2009 issue of The Journal of Nutrition reports that children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables increases if they attend elementary schools where high fat and high sugar snacks are restricted. 

Authors of the study surveyed over 10,000 fifth-graders at over 2,500 elementary schools from across the nation and found about a 3 percent increase in fruit and vegetable consumption by children in schools that restricted high fat and high sugar snacks. This consumption increase included fruits and vegetables eaten over the course of the entire day, not just during school hours, and included fruits and vegetables eaten as part of meals as well as for snacks. The study’s authors conclude that a restrictive snack policy should be part of a multi-faceted approach to improve children's diet quality.

“The new study results indicating increased fruit and vegetable consumption for kids going to schools that restrict the availability of snacks that are high in fat and sugar are welcome news; particularly since these restrictions seem to increase fruit & veggie consumption across all eating opportunities throughout the day, not just as snacks during school time,” said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) the nonprofit entity behind the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® national public health initiative. “If less healthy food choices continue to be restricted both at home and at school, kids’ view of normal eating should include more fruits and vegetables. Likewise, widening children’s exposure to different kinds of fruits and vegetables at school increases their willingness to try them and to request them at home too, translating into increased fruit and vegetable sales. This only strengthens the importance of the fruit and vegetable snack program in schools.”

Pivonka adds, “This study comes at a time when advocates are urging Congress, as part of the 2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, to allow USDA to set standards for foods and beverages sold to children outside of the school meal programs.”

For more information on The Journal of Nutrition study and its findings, view the study abstract.

The Fruits & Veggies—More Matters national public health initiative was designed to help increase the fruit and vegetable consumption of all Americans. The Fruits & Veggies—More Matters consumer website, www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org, offers tips, recipes, meal planning advice and a new Video Center that make it easy to add more fruits and vegetables at every eating occasion. For information on how adding the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters logo to your products or retail signage could help sell more fruits and vegetables contact PBH Licensing and Partnership Manager Kathleen Ruf via e-mail at kruf@pbhfoundation.org, or by calling 1-302-235-2329.

###
About Produce for Better Health Foundation
Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) consumer education foundation whose purpose is to motivate more people to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve public health. PBH is a member and co-chair of the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA), consisting of government agencies, non-profit organizations, and industry working to collaboratively and synergistically achieve increased nationwide access and demand for all forms off fruits and vegetables for improved public health.  This vision of the NFVA is a nation in which half of the foods Americans eat are fruits and vegetables.  Fruits & Veggies—More Matters is the nation’s largest public-private, fruit and vegetable nutrition education initiative with Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in each state, territory and the military.
PBH’s mission is to lead people to eat more fruits and vegetables because it matters for their better health. The foundation achieves success though industry and government collaboration, and a variety of marketing and nutrition education programs. To learn more, visit www.pbhfoundation.org and www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.