Both public and private organizations have noted that

Americans generally eat less fruits and vegetables than is

recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid. For example, the

Produce for Better Health Foundation found that only 38

percent of Americans consume the recommended number

of servings of vegetables, while only 23 percent consume

the recommended number of servings of fruit. Even more

troubling, low-income households eat even less fruits and

vegetables than higher income households.

One in Five Low-Income Households Buy No

Fruits or Vegetables

Some have suggested that low-income households eat so little fruits and vegetables because they allocate their limited

income to other items that the household deems more desirable, such as other foods, clothing, or housing. Indeed,

compared with higher income households, low-income

households spent, on average, about $1.43 less per person

per week on fruits and vegetables in 2000. Suggested solutions have included subsidizing fruit and vegetable growers,

providing free or low-cost fruits and vegetables in schools,

or creating a food stamp that can be spent only on fruits and

vegetables.

In any given week, approximately 19 percent of all lowincome households bought no fruits and vegetables, compared with only about 9 percent of higher income households with no expenditures. This gap continued to hold at

higher levels of expenditure, such as $4, and was found to

be statistically significant over the entire expenditures distribution. Moreover, this result also held when we looked at

just fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as just processed

fruits and vegetables.

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Economic 

Research

Service

Agriculture Information Bulletin 792-5 October 2004

Low-Income Households’

Expenditures on Fruits 

and Vegetables

Noel Blisard, nblisard@ers.usda.gov, (202) 694-5445

Hayden Stewart, hstewart@ers.usda.gov, (202) 694-5394

Dean Jolliffe, jolliffe@ers.usda.gov, (202) 694-5430

Small changes in income had no

effect on fruit and vegetable

expenditures by low-income

households.
Income Less Influential Than Education

Small changes in income had no effect on fruit and vegetable expenditures by low-income households. For higher

income households, however, small changes in income did

translate to increased expenditures for fruits and vegetables;

the increased expenditures, while small, were statistically

significant. When we isolated the effect of food stamps, we

again found no evidence of increased expenditures for fruits

and vegetables. Interestingly, the largest positive influence

on fruit and vegetable expenditures was a college-educated

head of household, regardless of income level. In fact, college-educated households had the highest level of per capita expenditures for fruits and vegetables. 

Information Source

Blisard, Noel, Hayden Stewart, and Dean Jolliffe. LowIncome Households’ Expenditures on Fruits and Vegetables,

USDA/ERS, AER-833, May 2004.

2 Economic Research Service / USDA

Agriculture Information Bulletin 792-5

We defined low-income households as those with

income no greater than 130 percent of the poverty line,

adjusted for household size. That threshold is the cutoff

for eligibility for food stamps. All other households were

higher income households. 

In the first part of our study, we performed a statistical

test on per capita fruit and vegetable expenditures to

ascertain if there was a difference in expenditures

between the two types of household. This is a stronger

test than a comparison of average expenditures, since it

ascertains if the expenditure distribution of higher

income households is always greater than that of lower

income households.

In the second part of our study, we used the same data,

but estimated a traditional demand model for fruits and

vegetables to ascertain if small changes in income

induced a statistically significant increase in fruit and

vegetable expenditures. In addition to income, we estimated the effects of other variables on fruit and vegetable expenditures. Those variables included region,

season, household size, age composition, race, and educational attainment. We also refined the demand model

to account for the impact of food stamps on fruit and

vegetable expenditures. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET

Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Distribution of fruit and vegetable expenditures 

by income level

Cumulative proportion of households

Low-income 

households

Other households

Expenditures per capita ($)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

n any g ven week 9% o ow ncome

househo ds bough no ru s and

vege ab es versus 9% o h gher ncome

househo ds Low ncome househo ds

cons s en y spen ess han h gher ncome

househo ds on ru s and vege ab es

How Was the Study Conducted?