"On the nutrition side, it's an ambitious but thoughtful analysis of the challenges our nation faces and it echoes much of what we’ve been saying on nutrition and feeding program policy," said United Fresh Senior Vice President of Public Policy Robert Guenther.

Currently, Americans consume merely half of the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and in order to counter this trend, the task force has recommended in the report that the nation's fruit and vegetable producers increase their acreage and output significantly over the next 10 years. Guenther points out that it may not be that simple.

"A unilateral increase in fresh perishables production would likely not translate into a sustainable price decrease or greater availability," said Guenther. "Fresh produce growers know too well that the supply/demand balance is highly volatile. There are numerous examples of growers increasing acreage on a commodity only to suffer losses when the market prices dropped dramatically. Consumers don't necessarily buy more in a direct correlation to affordability. Also, the acreage for fruit and vegetable production is dynamic, changing with each season as growers cope with market conditions and production challenges."

Guenther observed that while the end goal of the recommendations is certainly noble and in lock-step with the produce industry's priority of healthier kids, the drive to raise consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables to the currently recommended levels remains United's primary objective.

"Getting all Americans to eat the recommended servings per day of fruit and vegetables may be a more modest goal," he said, "but it remains the most direct route to improving the health of people across the country."