Applying Racial Equity to U.S. Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs - Flipbook - Page 50
Recommendation 3
Expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
Context
According to a 2018 Tufts University report, children who are exposed to fresh fruits and vegetables show a 17 percent
increase in habitual consumption of healthier foods, compared with children who have not been familiarized with these
foods.210 Making fresh fruits and vegetables available to children of color is key to improving some of the social determinants of
health211 that harm communities of color, and to countering the barrage of fast food advertising in these communities.
The gap between the ad exposure of African American and white children is widening. In 2013, African American children
and teens viewed 70 percent more food ads on TV channels geared to them than their white peers. By 2017, African American
children saw 90 percent more ads and teens saw 113 percent more ads than white children in these age ranges.212
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) encourages healthy
eating habits. Expanding this program beyond elementary schools is a way
DID YOU KNOW THAT…
to reach more students in high-poverty areas.
Recommendation
• USDA should automatically certify schools in high-poverty areas
as eligible for the FFVP. These schools already qualify under
Community Eligibility policies to serve free school lunch and breakfast
to all students; automatically allowing them to participate in the FFVP
is a logical extension with similar objectives. Schools that are not
located in areas of concentrated poverty, but serve many Indigenous
children, should also be eligible to participate in FFVP. Increasing
the consumption of fruits and vegetables among Indigenous children
can reduce their likelihood of developing diabetes—a serious health
condition that affects Indigenous communities at a higher rate than any
other racial/ethnic group.213
Children of color are more likely
than white children to see ads
for unhealthy foods in their
neighborhoods? The far denser
concentration of such ads sends
a message that the health and
well-being of residents of color is
less important—reinforcing racial
inequity in nutrition.
SOURCE: http://uconnruddcenter.org/files/Pdfs/
TargetedMarketingReport2019.pdf
• USDA should promote farmers’ participation in FFVP and should
purchase locally grown food for the program. This is especially important for schools located on or near reservations,
to ensure that Indigenous farmers can work with schools to provide traditional fruits and vegetables. It is also particularly
important for schools located in Hawaii. While there has been a push to support locally grown fruits and vegetables through
the FFVP, Hawaiian farmers face barriers to growing enough produce to meet the needs of the statewide school system. For
example, FFVP requires farmers to carry farm liability insurance, which is very expensive in Hawaii. Many local farms also
lack food safety certification.214 Lack of sufficient capital is a problem faced by many farmers of color, Indigenous and Native
Hawaiian alike. USDA should work with farmers to enable them to expand their capacity to grow produce for the FFVP—
for example, through training, inputs, and financial support.
• USDA should restore and preserve the integrity of the “Fresh” Fruit and Vegetable Program. The proportion of
USDA Fruit and Vegetable commodity purchases that is actually fresh is decreasing. The addition of canned, frozen, and
dried fruits and vegetables has led to 25 percent fewer fresh items being served,215 216 even though highly processed canned
or dried products have less nutritional value. Congress should require USDA to ensure that 80 percent of the program’s
commodities are fresh. At a minimum, no further expansion of canned or dried products should be approved.
• Congress should require USDA to improve its nutrition education programs and materials. Children who are
exposed to healthy foods, along with age-appropriate information about why choosing them is important, are much better
equipped to make longer-term nutritional improvements to protect their health. One effective program for young children
is called the Child Health Initiative for Lifelong Eating and Exercise (CHILE Plus), also referred to as Chile New Mexico.217
It is a hands-on nutrition education curriculum for Head Start children in urban and rural areas throughout New Mexico,
including many Indigenous and Latino/a students. A program such as this one can be adapted and scaled up to include
elementary, middle, and high school students as well.
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APPLYING RACIAL EQUITY TO U.S. FEDERAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS: SNAP, WIC AND CHILD NUTRITION
