Processed is out in USDA’s proposed Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program rule for schools

Fresh – not processed – fruits and vegetables would be more accessible to low-income students via elementary school meals, according to a proposed rule of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.

Dated today in the federal register, the proposed guidelines would mean more formal regulation of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) initiated as part of the 2002 farm bill.

The rule calls for increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in elementary schools serving low-income students. Offerings should “represent a variety of whole or pre-cut fresh fruits and vegetables.”

In fact, “frozen, canned, dried, certain types of vacuum packed and other types of processed fruits and vegetables would be prohibited from being served in the FFVP.” The proposal also would give schools the right to source local unprocessed fruits and vegetables.

An evaluation of the FFVP completed in September 2011 found that students who participated in the program consume an additional ¼ cup of fruits and vegetables, on average, on days when the program is operating – 15 percent higher than average fruit and vegetable consumption by children in non-FFVP schools.

The report also found that there was no increase in calorie consumption by participating students, suggesting that fruits and veggies are replacing other foods in their diets.