US ADULTS FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKES, 1989 TO 1991 - A REVISED BASE-LINE FOR THE HEALTHY-PEOPLE-2000 OBJECTIVE

Objectives. This study provides revised baseline data for the Healthy People 2000 objective related to fruit and vegetable intakes, accounti ng for fruits and vegetables from all sources and measuring servings i n a manner consistent with current dietary guidance. Methods. Dietary data from 8181 adults in the US Department of Agriculture's 1989-1991 Continuing Surveys of Food Intakes by Individuals were examined. All f oods were disaggregated into their component ingredients; all fruit an d vegetable ingredients were assigned specific weights to correspond t o a serving as defined by current dietary guidance materials; and the number of servings was tallied. Results. While mean intakes of fruits and vegetables-4.3 servings per day-were not far from the Year 2000 ob jective, only 32% of American adults' intakes met the objective; When more stringent standards were set either to compensate for higher 'cal orie levels or to achieve the balance between fruits and vegetables su ggested in current guidance, only 24% and 12%, respectively, met the r ecommendations. Conclusions. These results suggest: a need to develop strategies for overcoming barriers to eating fruits and vegetables.