National Fruits & Veggies Month is a national observance and awareness campaign held in the United States during September to educate about the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and to celebrate in song and culture how they are grown, distributed, and consumed. The awareness campaign consists of outreach to grocery stores and retailers, schools, and public organizations; outreach to nutritionists and other health professionals; weekly online contests with prizes; social media campaigns and logo wear; and other special events during September to celebrate National Fruits & Veggies Month. They also aim to inspire people to consume fruits and vegetables regularly and to create a more balanced lifestyle. The 'Take the Have a Plant pledge' is to "add one more fruit or vegetable to your routine, every day this month." The year-long initiative centered around 'Have a Plant' involves monthly educational themes to be carried out by their Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors in Action (FVAA) network. The event is sponsored by the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) as part of the PBH Have a Plant Movement, which "aims to transform the way Millennials and Gen Z approach fruits and vegetables to change behaviors and boost consumption" (according to its website). The PBH Have a Plant consumer movement replaces their previous Fruits & Veggies: More Matters public education program. The 2019 NFVM theme was "Have a Plant: Food Rooted in A Better Mood" and is supported with printed and downloadable literature. Since 2022, the byline theme for the event has been "Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant®." National Nutrition Month, established in 1973 and sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, follows six months later in March of each year.
Annual NFVM themes 2019: Have A Plant – Food Rooted In A Better Mood 2020 - Have A Plant Nation 2021 - Celebrating The Roots Of Our Food 2022 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant® 2023 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant® 2024 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant® 2025 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant® 2026 - Have A Plant® Nation
Media coverage The PBH-CDC coalition began around 2010 with the National Cancer Institute. National Fruits & Veggies Month is recognized by public health authorities and produce distribution companies. The USDA's WIC Works Resource System designates September as *National Fruits and Veggies Month*, encouraging WIC staff to promote nutrition education and support participants in maximizing fruit and vegetable consumption during that month. This USDA site explicitly designates September as “National Fruits & Veggies Month” and encourages WIC staff to promote produce consumption during that time:
“September is National Fruits & Veggies Month, an opportunity to bring greater attention to the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. WIC staff can use these resources to help participants maximize their cash-value voucher and remind them that it's not too late to take advantage of summer produce!”
References
External links Have A Plant Campaign website Produce For Better Health Foundation Unveils Innovative Consumer Movement To Promote Fruits And Vegetables For Happier And Healthier Lives. CISION PRNewswire, April 23, 2019 PBH website for enrolling individual participants in the Have A Plant Pledge PBH brings Chicago-based food and nutrition influencers to United Fresh. The Produce News. June 7, 2019 Major M. Produce for Better Health Debuts ‘Have a Plant': Foundation repositions tagline to spark a consumer movement to promote fruits and vegetables. WinSight Grocery Business. Apr. 24, 2019 Sound Bites Podcast Episode 123: Have a Plant – The Roots of Healthy Eating – Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President & CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. July 10, 2019 Nickle A. Where shoppers are with plant-based and the opportunity for produce. April 23, 2019 Produce For Better Health Foundation 2022 National Fruits & Veggies Month Toolkit Makes it Easy to Promote Fruits & Vegetables This September Pennington JAT & Fisher RA (2009). Classification of fruits and vegetables. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 22S:S23-S31. Public Health England. 2019. McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset.
See also Global Burden of Disease Plant-based diet
