US: Fruit and veg consumption not about price

Much has been made recently of the need to cut prices of fruits and vegetable to get consumers to continue to purchase them during the current economic crisis. However, recent research from the US suggests that price is not the main factor - it's all about the shopping experience.

The study by lead author Jonathan L. Blitstein, a research psychologist at Research Triangle Park International, and colleagues found fruit and vegetable intake was unusually high in their primarily minority and low-income, inner-city sample. They found 85.5 percent reported eating more than three servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

In addition, participants who made six shopping trips per month ate more fruit and vegetables than those who shopped an average of once a week, the study said.

The study also found the study participants who shopped in stores, co-ops or farmers' markets they considered convenient and offered high levels of quality and selection were more likely to eat three or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily.

However, cost was not found to be a factor in how many servings of fruits and vegetables participants ate. The study found those who listed cost as a barrier to purchasing fruits and vegetables ate the same amount of produce as those who did not, Blitstein said.

Source: dalje.com