Growing share of adults consume less than quarter of daily recommended fruit, USDA finds

A USDA Economic Research Service report shows a growing share of adults in the U.S. consume less than a quarter of the amount of fruit recommended in the federal dietary guidelines.

Researchers used a dietary intake survey from January 2005 to March 2020 and learned that about 40% of all adults consumed below 25% of the recommended fruit amount. This is higher than 2013 to 2016, when 37% of adults consumed less than the recommended amount; from 2009 to 2012, that figure was 32%.

USDA’s ERS said the number of adults who did consume enough fruit to meet federal recommendations stayed consistently at 15%.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-25 says that fruits include fresh, canned, frozen, and dried products as well as 100% fruit juice. Adults who consume a cup equivalent of all types count equally toward intake recommendations.

The report found little association between household income or fruit prices as a likelihood that someone met the recommendations or consumed less than 25% of the requirements. The report said factors more closely associated include behaviors such as smoking, exercising and awareness of the USDA’s official symbol of the five food groups — My Plate.