The United Fresh Produce Association's goal is to shape national nutrition policies that increase availability, accessibility and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially for children. The 2007 Farm Bill provides an unprecedented opportunity to achieve our goal of national expansion of the highly effective USDA Fresh fruit and Vegetable Snack Program (FFVP). By providing students with a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day at school, the FFVP increases their consumption of a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, creates a healthier school food environment and positively impacts family eating habits. Launching kids on a lifetime of fruit and vegetable choices, the FFVP provides a tremendous opportunity for the produce industry to grow its future.

 

Background
The purpose of the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is to increase children's consumption of fruits and vegetables, improve their overall health, and reduce their risk of obesity and overweight. Today, it is widely recognized that the rate of obesity in our nation's children is drastically rising. Over the last two decades, obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents. Eating habits are developed in childhood and if children develop healthy eating habits in childhood they will carry these healthy habits into adult hood. It is well documented that healthy eating can significantly reduce the risk for many chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer. It is also imperative that our schools act as stewards for healthier living and be given the necessary resources to encourage children to develop healthier eating habits that promote good health and prevent diseases in the future.

Over the last five years the FFVP has proven to be a model for increasing children's consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables, decreasing their purchase of soda, chips and candy, and a cornerstone in a school's efforts to create a healthier food school environment. The USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program almost immediately results in behavior change. Children start to eat more fruits and vegetables, experience the great taste of a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and begin to positively influence their family's eating habits. Furthermore, schools report that children eating more fruits and vegetables have improved cognition, longer attention spans, are less hungry throughout the day, visit the nurse less and have fewer behavioral problems. The small investment in this program reaps tremendous benefits to children, their schools and the produce industry.

Currently 14 states (Utah, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Washington, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania and 3 Indian Tribal Organizations (Pine Ridge in South Dakota, Zuni in New Mexico and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona) are funded to participate in the FFVP.  The program reaches over 115, 000 students in 375 schools.

The program was first initiated as a four-state pilot program in the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act. USDA conducted an evaluation of the pilot program; its very positive Report to Congress was submitted in May 2003. Encouraged by the success of the pilot program, Congress, in Section 120 of Public Law 108-265, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, converted the pilot into a fully authorized program, expanding it include 8 states and 3 ITOs and authorizing such appropriations as might be available and necessary to enable additional states to participate. The 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act requires that the majority of schools funded in each state have at least 50% of their students eligible for free and reduce-price school lunch. Also, current authorization allows only 25 schools in each state to participate.

The FY'06 Agriculture Appropriations Act (Sec. 779) further expanded the program by adding funding for six new states. Once a state is funded, all schools are eligible to apply for funding. Schools are selected to participate based on their applications. The program is administered by the Child Nutrition Division of State Departments of Education (except in New Jersey and Texas, where the state Department of Agriculture administers child nutrition programs).


Current Status

FY'07 Agricultural Appropriations With the goal of expanding the FFVP to additional states, aggressive efforts have been undertaken to build bipartisan support in both the Senate and House through the FY'07 AG Appropriations process. Specific appropriations requests were made to members of Congress from key priority states. Currently both the House and Senate Appropriation bills have inserted additional funding into their FY2007 Appropriation bills to expand.

Senate Bill - The Senate's bill funds the snack program at $9 million and adds three new states - California, Georgia, and Arkansas -- to the program.

House Bill - The House bill funds the program at $25 million and would expand the program to all 50 states at $500,000 per state.

 

In January 2007 when the 110th Congress convenes, we expect the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees to reconcile their differences. United Fresh? goal is to maintain the funding level in the House bill, protect the permanent funding for the eight states covered by the 2004 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, and secure funding for 10 new states to participate in the FFVP.

2007 Farm Bill Policy Recommendation The 2007 Farm Bill provides an excellent opportunity to expand the FFVP nationwide. There is tremendous support on Capitol Hill and in Administration (if Congress makes the funds available). USDA Secretary Johanns and other USDA officials frequently highlight the positive results of the FFVP emphasizing its impact on helping children develop healthier eating habits and schools develop healthier school food environments. A priority of the Specialty Crop Industry's Farm Bill proposal is to expand the FFVP nationwide. H.R. 6193 EAT Healthy America Act, introduced as a marker bill for the Farm Bill in September 2006, included mandatory funding of $300 million/year ($1.5 billion over 5 years) to expand the fresh fruit and vegetable snack program to:

Advocacy Campaign
Securing support for national expansion and $300 million/year in mandatory funding will be very challenging and will require active engagement and strong grassroots action by child nutrition advocates, parents, students, educators, the public health community and the produce industry. Building broad-based bipartisan House and Senate support for national expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Snack Program will require cooperation among all stake-holding parties.

 

 

For more information, contact Lorelei DiSogra at 202-303-3403.