Garden Market
This toolkit provides information on how to establish a garden market in a federal agency or other organization. It is based on a Healthier Worksite Initiative (HWI) demonstration project at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Health Challenge
One goal of the HealthierUS Initiative is to increase Americans’ consumption of fruits and vegetables.
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Currently, 40% of fruits and vegetables consumed by Americans come from only eight sources (iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, French fries, bananas, orange juice, onions, apples, and carrots, in that order).2 |
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2005 recommend that Americans “choose a variety of fruits and vegetables
each day. In particular, select from all five vegetable subgroups (dark
green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) several
times a week.” 1
Many Americans find it difficult to increase their consumption of a variety
of fruits and vegetables because of the following barriers:
- High prices: From 1982 to 1997, the price of fruits and vegetables increased more than all other food categories. National Cancer Institute, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
- Limited access: Many consumers, especially those living in low-income and urban areas, need access to affordable fruits and vegetables.3, 4
HWI’s Demonstration Project
One way to improve access is to create a garden market on
the work site so employees can conveniently shop for fruits and vegetables.
A garden market may also reduce price barriers if it provides fresh produce at prices
that are competitive with other sources. CDC created the “Garden Market”
demonstration project at one location for this purpose. The garden market was so
successful that it was adopted at other CDC locations.
Toolkit Components
The content of this toolkit is most relevant to federal employers, although other government employers, such as states, might have similar procurement regulations. Employers in the private sector may find that they have fewer restrictions; however, the principles of program development hold true.
The toolkit describes the following project phases:
Additionally, you can read how HWI launched the Garden Market at CDC and
lessons we learned from the experience in CDC Garden Market Example.
Note: this toolkit is simply an example of what worked at CDC. The examples and
guidance provided should not be a substitute for working with your own
internal policy and legal staff to develop appropriate guidelines and
procedures for running a garden market. Additionally, the CDC,
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), or Department of Defense (DoD)
are in no way responsible or liable for 1) vendors or their products as
chosen through the DoD Fresh Program, or 2) guaranteeing the success of garden markets
established as a result of this toolkit.
References
1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005.
6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005.
2Johnson, CD, Taylor, CA, Hampl, JS. More Americans are eating “5
a day” but intakes of dark green and cruciferous vegetables remain low.
Journal of Nutrition 2000;130:3063–3067
3Rose, D, Richards, R. Food store access and household fruit and
vegetable use among participants in the US Food Stamp Program. Public Health
Nutrition 2004;7(8), 1081–1088.
4The Contextual Effect of the Local Food Environment on
Residents’ Diets: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. American
Journal of Public Health 2002;92(11):1761–1767.
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Page last updated: May 22, 2007
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
