PBH A FEW BITES CLOSER TO 5 A DAY GOAL

RALPH RAIOLA

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Produce for Better Health Foundation, Newark, Del., is closer to its goal of consumers eating at least five fruits and vegetables a day, according to research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington.

While the American public has not increased its produce consumption drastically since the 5 a Day program began, PBH's preliminary data shows consumption, which was at just under four servings when 5 a Day was started, is up about a half a serving, say foundation officials. "We've had a good program with 5 a Day over the past few years," said Elizabeth Pivonka, PBH president, during the 1997 United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association Convention here.

But the PBH is still faced with getting consumers to eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day by the next century, a goal it set for the program when it began, and time is running out.

"If we want to meet the year 2000 goal of getting five servings a day we need to pick up the pace a little bit because we only have about three years left," she said. "Sometimes I think the produce industry doesn't know what it has in the palm of its hand, and we really need to take advantage of this."

Awareness of the need to eat fruits and vegetables hit 38% in 1996, compared with 8% in 1991, when the Washington-based National Cancer Institute and PBH began the 5 a Day campaign.

"We want the awareness to increase to at least 58% in the year 2000," Pivonka said.