Californians Flunk Fruits, Veggies Survey

When the California Department of Health Services began a $600,000-a-year program two years ago to get Californians to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, it expected great things from the land of the golden tan. After all, isn’t California the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the United States? Doesn’t it have more varieties available more of the time than any other state?

Maybe so, but after the first year of the campaign, even the California raisins were blushing. On any given day, two-thirds of the people were eating fewer than the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables, according to a survey.

What’s more, even during the summer--when produce is the least expensive and most plentiful--20% stayed away from fruit altogether, 27% ate no vegetables and 7% ate neither. In addition, 20% of meals were fruit- and vegetable-free.

The chief of California’s Nutrition and Cancer Prevention Program, says that number provides the vitamins and minerals necessary for good health and “ . . .reduced cancer risk.”