Society of Behavioral Medicine position statement: increase funding for fruits and vegetables production in The Farm Bill reauthorization

Abstract

The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) recommends that Congress increase funding for fruit and vegetable production and intake in The Farm Bill reauthorization. Analysis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's databases indicates that the availability of fruits and vegetables in the food supply is at half or less than half of what is needed to meet federal dietary recommendations for Americans. Based on the extant literature, SBM supports including funding allocations for fruit and vegetable production, including fruits and vegetables in commodity programs, providing additional insurance subsidies for producing fruits and vegetables, and maintaining or increasing funding for initiatives that promote fruit and vegetable intake. To avoid some of the unintended consequences of increasing support for fruit and vegetable production, new insurance products should be developed in collaboration with groups representing fruit and vegetable producers.

Keywords: Fruits and vegetables; Policy; Reauthorization; The Farm Bill.