Removing Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Barriers Through Policy & Societal Change

Increasing the consumption of fruits and veggies in the United States is critical to reducing the risk of chronic diseases among our most vulnerable populations. Marginalized communities within the U.S. are struggling to purchase adequate food, veggies, and fruits.

Circle graph showing 5 percent full About 5% of the U.S. population faces challenges in accessing and purchasing food, vegetables, and fruits due to limited access to stores.

This underscores the importance of IFPA's advocacy for SNAP and WIC programs as part of our priority issues, and it offers an opportunity to retailers who could consider opening stores in underserved communities.

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Struggling Communities

Hispanic female gardener picking potato beetles from young bushes in her small garden on sunny spring day

Hispanic Agriculture

Old Farmhouse at Sunset on the Great Plains

The Great Plains

Female manual workers team working on the production line in factory

Low Wage Manufacturing

El Paso, Texas / USA Border wall between USA and Mexico running thru the desert.

Hispanic Southern Border

Laguna Pueblo, Native American reservation near Albuquerque, New Mexico

American Indian Reservations

Historical downtown area of Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Black South

Lonely senior woman with a small black dog sitting on a bench by the autumn lake or river in a city park.

Isolated Seniors

Autumn in the Appalachian Mountains Viewed Along the Blue Ridge Parkway

White Appalachia

The following research draws from several data sources. Those sources use consumer profiles to report on access to and consumption of fresh produce among the United States population.

The Study

To gain insights into produce consumption among various demographic groups, IFPA commissioned Circana to analyze sales data overlaid onto the Milken Institute’s Community Explorer using U.S. Census data. The objective is to leverage this data to effectively address consumption barriers through policy and societal changes.

The Findings

In 2023 the produce department in US grocery stores brought in $76.5 billion. Fresh produce increased dollar sales by 1.5% with flat unit and volume sales. Increasing the consumption of fruits and veggies in the United States is critical to reducing risk of chronic diseases among our most vulnerable populations. Marginalized communities within the US are struggling to purchase adequate food, veggies, and fruits.

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Removing Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Barriers Through Policy & Societal Change

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