New CDC Report Shows Americans Failing at Eating Enough Fruits and Vegetables

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults. Since 2000, the CDC has spearheaded efforts with goals of getting 75% of Americans to eat two or more servings of fruit a day and 50% of Americans to eat three or more servings of vegetables a day. Unfortunately, Americans aren't meeting these modest targets.

Although a diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk for many chronic diseases, Americans just aren't getting enough. In fact, since 2000, the amount of vegetables Americans are eating has stayed the same and the amount of fruit Americans are eating has gone down. The CDC found that only about a third of adults were eating their recommended servings of fruit, and just over a quarter of adults were eating their recommended servings of vegetables.

So why aren't Americans getting their recommended servings of fruits and vegetables? It turns out Americans might be spoiled when it comes to their produce. A national survey(i) conducted by Fruit2day reveals that nearly half of Americans leave fruit in their fridge until it rots with people in Boston among the worst and those in New York and Los Angeles among the best. Sadly, most Americans admit to leaving fruit in the fridge for more than a week.

There are many reasons why Americans don't eat their fruits and vegetables, including the inconvenience of having to wash or peel it. Fruit2day offers consumers a surprising and convenient way to enjoy the goodness of fruit.

"With no added sugar, natural juices and two full servings of fruit, our Fruit2day line has really captured the imaginations of health-conscious consumers who are actively looking to get more fruit in their diets," said Hanno Holm, president and chief executive officer of Hero-WhiteWave. "Fruit2day makes getting more fruit in one's diet easier to add to any daily snack routine."

Other quirky findings from the Fruit2day survey include:

Americans choose strawberries as their favorite fruit. Bananas come in second.
The reason behind the love of strawberries? Americans see themselves as having sweet, caring personalities like a strawberry.
If they had their choice, Americans would grab grapes for a food fight because they provide a lot of ammunition. They would also reach for peaches because they make a juicy mess.
A third of Americans would rather drink 100% fruit juice than eat actual fruit.

Hero-WhiteWave is a strategic joint venture between Switzerland-based Hero Group and WhiteWave Foods Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) based in Broomfield, Colo. Visit www.fruit2day.com for more information.

ABOUT HERO GROUP

Hero Group, an international nutrition-focused branded consumer-foods group, was founded in 1886 in Switzerland, and is committed to producing high-quality, nutritious products in its core product categories of Infant Nutrition and Fruit. Hero's operations are based predominantly in Europe, North America and Middle East Africa. In North America, Hero markets leading brands in Infant Nutrition (Beech-Nut), Decoration & Seasonal Products (Cake Mate, Paas, Pumpkin Masters, Houston Harvest) and Jams (Hero).

ABOUT WHITEWAVE FOODS

WhiteWave Foods was established when Dean Foods Company consolidated much of its branded business into one consumer packaged goods organization. Headquartered in Colorado, the company is a pioneer in creating healthy, innovative, responsibly produced foods, including organic and natural leaders Horizon Organic(R), Silk(R) Soymilk and Rachel's(TM) yogurt, and indulgent favorites International Delight(R) and LAND O'LAKES(TM) cultured and liquid dairy products. For more information, visit http://www.whitewavefoods.com.

(i) Results from a national telephone survey of 1,000 participants ages 18 and older, and an oversample of 200 participants in San Francisco, Baltimore/D.C, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. This survey was conducted by Braun Research from August 12-18, 2010. The margin of error for national findings is +/- 3.1% and for local market findings it is +/- 6.9%.