Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program (FVPP)

Increasing consumption of fresh and dried fruits and vegetables by U.S. schoolchildren

The Nutrition Title of the 2002 Farm Bill provided $6 million to the USDA's Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program (FVPP) during the 2002- 03 school year to improve fruit and vegetable consumption among the nation's schoolchildren. The FVPP provided fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables free to children in 107 elementary and secondary schools—25 schools each in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio and 7 schools in the Zuni Indian Tribal Organization (ITO) in New Mexico.

In the pilot, each school was allocated $94 per student. The intent of the pilot was to determine the feasibility of such a program and its success as determined by the students' interest in participating.

Project Examples
According to a report by the USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), a majority of participating schools considered the pilot program to be very successful and felt strongly that the pilot should continue.

Pilot sites were chosen to represent a mix of large and small, rural, suburban, and urban elementary, middle, and high schools. The participating schools also included students from diverse ethnic backgrounds and family income levels, as assessed by the proportion of students certified as eligible for free and reduced-price lunches.

An ERS evaluation of the pilot program (see website address for this report in this entry) found that:

Three main delivery methods were used to distribute FVPP foods to students: classroom service, kiosks, and free vending machines. Classroom service alone was used by 41 percent of schools, and 16 percent used kiosks alone. Many schools used mixed approaches, with 36 percent using both classroom delivery and kiosks and 3 percent using classroom service and free vending machines.
Of the 105 schools reporting on feasibility, 100 said they believe that it is feasible to continue the pilot if funding is made available. Schools believed that 80 percent of students were very interested in the pilot, and 71 percent reported that students' interest had increased during the pilot period. Many schools reported that the 10-percent cap on nonfood (for example, labor) costs out of each grant was too restrictive.
Of 105 schools reporting, 87 bought FVPP foods from a wholesaler or broker, 55 from retailers (for example, local grocers), 16 from the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (DOD Fresh), and 13 from other sources, such as farmers' markets, an organic grower, and local orchards and growers.
Nearly all schools (93 percent) provided some nutrition education and promotion activities, but the extent and type varied widely among schools and grade levels. 65 percent provided nutrition education and promotion as part of school classes, such as by making it a part of health classes or by adapting lesson plans. 34 percent provided nutrition education and promotion in school but outside of regular classes, such as at school assemblies, health fairs, and pilot kickoff events. 63 percent offered informational materials, such as fliers, pamphlets, and "5 A Day materials," and 60 percent provided other materials, such as T-shirts, posters, banners, and buttons or made pueblo address announcements.
Nearly everyone recognized some health benefit or other value from the pilot. School staff said they believed that the pilot lessened the risk of obesity, increased attention in class, reduced consumption of less healthy food, reduced number of unhealthy snacks brought from home, increased students' awareness and preference for a variety of fruits and vegetables (particularly less familiar kinds, such as kiwis and fresh pears), helped children who would otherwise be hungry get more food, and increased students' consumption of fruits and vegetables at lunch.
Some of the reasons that children liked the pilot were that they got to eat favorite fruits and vegetables more often, they liked the health benefits of eating these foods, it was a welcome break from normal classroom activity, and they could eat the foods as a breakfast substitute. Many students described improvement in their eating habits, a greater willingness to try different fruits and vegetables, or, at the very least, a greater consciousness about eating too much of what they call "junk" foods.

Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
Congress is considering whether or not to extend the program to other states. Interested states and schools are being urged to contact ERS for further information.

Contact
Jean Buzby
Economic Research Service
Phone: (202) 694-5370
E-mail: JBUZBY@ers.usda.gov

Joanne Guthrie
Economic Research Service
Phone: (202) 694-5373
E-mail: JGUTHRIE@ers.usda.gov

Linda Kantor
Economic Research Service
Phone: (202) 694-5456
E-mail: LKANTOR@ers.usda.gov

ERS Main Office
Economic Research Service
1800 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20036-5831

Internet
www.ers.usda.gov/publications/efan03006/

Last Updated January 24, 2005