By Mark Albright, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 19, 2012
ORLANDO
Dietitians, doctors, moms and Michelle Obama are all prodding Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables. How's it going?
"Unfortunately, consumption has been flat since 2004," said Elizabeth Pivonka, chief executive of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. "Most surprising is that consumption among seniors has actually declined 8 percent since then."
Her research, outlined at a Food Marketing Institute conference here Monday, found multiple explanations. Cost-conscious consumers digging out of recession. Folks who buy only what they know their family will eat. And an unwillingness to find new ways to make fruits and vegetables taste better.
Indeed, many decisionmakers in households living on less than $50,000 a year do not associate fruits and vegetables with health and wellness. That remains a big reason the average American still eats 1.8 cups of them a day, not ...