Improving Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility, Purchasing, and Consumption to Advance Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the United States

Bailey Houghtaling (), Matthew Greene, Kaustubh V. Parab and Chelsea R. Singleton ()
Additional contact information
Bailey Houghtaling: Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE 68514, USA
Matthew Greene: School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Louisiana State University (LSU) & LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Kaustubh V. Parab: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
Chelsea R. Singleton: Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-12

Abstract: In recent years, national and local efforts to improve diet and health in the United States have stressed the importance of nutrition security, which emphasizes consistent access to foods and beverages that promote health and prevent disease among all individuals. At the core of this endeavor is fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, a dietary practice that is integral to attaining and sustaining a healthy diet. Unfortunately, significant inequities in FV accessibility, purchasing, and consumption exist, particularly among populations that are socially and economically disadvantaged. To achieve nutrition and health equity in the United States, the field must center the goal of nutrition security and initiatives that aim to increase FV consumption, specifically, in future work. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) Special Issue titled “ Nutrition and Health Equity: Revisiting the Importance of Fruit and Vegetable Availability, Purchasing, and Consumption ” features several scholarly publications from experts conducting timely research on these topics. In this commentary, we ( 1 ) summarize the U.S.-based literature on inequities in FV accessibility, purchasing, and consumption, ( 2 ) describe how the contributions to this IJERPH special issue can advance nutrition security and health equity, and ( 3 ) outline future research questions from our perspective.

Keywords: fruits and vegetables; diet; food accessibility; nutrition security; health equity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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