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update - October 2004
How Expensive Are Fruits and Vegetables Anyway?
Many Americans do not consume the recommended amounts of fruits
and vegetables. Almost half of Americans think eating more fruits
and vegetables would make their diets healthier, so why don’t
they? One argument is that fruits and vegetables are expensive,
especially when purchased fresh. According to an ERS study, consumers
can eat three servings of fruit and four servings of vegetables
for 64 cents a day, which represents 12 percent of daily food expenditures
per person.
ERS researchers used 1999 household purchase data from all types
of retail outlets to estimate an annual, national retail price per
pound for 69 fresh and processed fruits and 85 fresh and processed
vegetables. Since the purchase weight of many fruits and vegetables
include rinds, seeds, and other nonedible parts, researchers also
estimated the number of edible servings per pound. More than half
of the fruits and vegetables were estimated to cost 25 cents or
less per serving in 1999. Eighty-six percent of the vegetables and
78 percent of the fruit cost less than 50 cents a serving—that’s
127 different ways to eat a serving of fruits and vegetables for
less than the price of a 3-ounce candy bar.
Are fresh fruits and vegetables more expensive to eat than processed?
According to this study, definitely not. On a per serving basis,
almost two-thirds of all fruit and more than half of all vegetables
were less expensive in their fresh form than in their processed
form. Even so, the difference in price per serving between the least
and most expensive versions for many fruits and vegetables was often
less than a quarter. For some consumers, this additional amount
may be a small price to pay for the longer shelf life, ease of preparation,
and greater availability associated with processed forms. Expectations
that fresh produce will go bad and be thrown out may fuel consumers’
perception that fresh produce is more expensive than processed.
Consumers need to be savvy and consider not only the price per
pound but the number of servings obtainable from a pound, which
varies considerably among different fruits and vegetables. Some
consumers may balk at paying $2.53 for a pound of dried apricots
when the per pound cost for either fresh or canned apricots is a
dollar less. What they may not realize is that a pound of dried
apricots contains 11 servings, while a pound of fresh apricots provides
6 servings, and a pound of canned only 4, making dried apricots
cheaper than either fresh or canned on a per serving basis.
This study uses 1999 prices, so today’s prices would be about
10 percent higher on average. These prices reflect averages and
are not the same prices that any household might face on a given
day. The point of purchase—for example, a farmers’ market
versus a supermarket—will affect the price. In-store sales,
coupons, and the brand selected also affect the price. In addition,
lower per pound costs are often associated with purchasing larger
containers. For fresh produce, in particular, the time of year (seasonality)
may impact the price an individual pays for a particular item. Yet,
for most Americans, cost need not be a barrier to consuming the
recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.
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