produce

Nearly half of the fruit and vegetables grown on U.S. farms never reach consumers, because the “cult of perfection” demands perfectly shaped peppers and blemish-free apples, says the Guardian.

Despite a steady bombardment of advice about the importance of eating a healthy diet, Americans are eating fewer fruits and vegetables on average than they were in the 1990s, said the USDA’s Economic Research Service, which analyzed annual consumption rates for 120 varieties of raw, dried, canned, frozen and juiced produce between 1994-98 and 2007-2008.

Some farmers are seeing a drop in farmers' market sales, as customers steer toward prepared foods and away from fresh vegetables and fruit, says The Washington Post. Many customers coming to markets today are younger and don’t cook much. They consider the market more of an event than a source for the week’s groceries.

What kind of produce you eat makes all the difference in your pesticide exposure, says a paper out by Consumer Reports. For example, “eating one serving of green beans from the U.S. is 200 times riskier than eating a serving of U.S.-grown broccoli.”

“Ugly” fruits and vegetables might actually be more nutritious than blemish-free produce, says NPR. Scabs and scars on the skin are a sign that the plant fought off invaders, whether pests or fungus.

The Swede midge, an insect that damages cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and other crucifers, was found in five organic production fields in Sanilac County on the "thumb" of Michigan's lower peninsula - the first discovery of the plant pest in Michigan, said the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Shoppers should always buy organic peaches, strawberries, green beans and carrots to limit their exposure to pesticide residue, says Consumer Reports.

The U.S. farm sector usually discusses Cuba in terms of possible growth in sales to a nearby market, although trade is limited by the trade embargo enacted during the Cold War.

First Lady Michelle Obama "is enlisting some high-wattage star power — including actresses Jessica Alba and Kristen Bell, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz — in a new national campaign to convince moms and teens to eat fruits and veggies," reports Politico.

Nonprofit hospitals are expanding "'upstream' prevention-based programs that can help reduce the burden of chronic disease," says a blog at the site Health Care Without Harm.

An innovative program combats obesity by helping families buy fruits and vegetables, says the New York Times, in describing the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, being tested at four hospitals in New York City.

Grocery shoppers are spending less time, and money, in the center aisles of the supermarket, where the processed foods dwell and more time in the dairy case, meat counter and produce bins, says the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The proposed 24-acre West Louisville Food Hub, with an expected cost of $45 million, would combine urban renewal in a distressed neighborhood of Louisville, KY, with local food marketing, says Civil Eats.

Responding to extensive public comment, the Food and Drug Administration revised a proposed rule on safety standards for growing, harvesting, packing and holding fresh fruits and vegetables. In a Federal Register notice today, FDA said it would accept public comments until Dec 15 on the several provisions it identified for change. The rule initially was proposed last year.

It's field trip weekend for some of the students in a University of Illinois program that introduces people to fruit and vegetable farming. The program, offered at three sites around the state, is in its second year and has roughly 100 participants ranging from beginning farmers to crop farmers who want to diversify. "Our graduates are responding to the desire for local produce," says project manager Mary Hosier.

In a monthly update, the Agriculture Department stuck to its forecast of a 3 pct annual increase in food prices this year.