It’s National Fruits and Veggies Month:  September is National Fruits and Veggies month, which means it is time to celebrate one of the food groups that heath experts everywhere agree we should eat more of every day for better health and a longer life.  Decades of studies verify the safety and healthiness of fruits and vegetables yet only one in 10 of us eat enough each day.

We recently asked our network of registered dietitians for some quick tips to save money when shopping for fruits and vegetables as well as some easy ideas on how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.  Click here for those quick and easy tips.

Visit the Foundation for Fresh Produce for more ideas on how to celebrate National Fruits and Veggies month.

FDA Sampling Report Good News for Consumers:  This month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the results of its 2022 residue sampling program and found that almost 43% of the foods sampled had no detectable pesticide residues at all.  To protect public health, the FDA’s pesticide residue monitoring program tests FDA-regulated foods to determine compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety standards.  FDA stated that the findings show that the levels of residues in the U.S. food supply are in compliance with EPA safety standards.

Year after year, the findings of federal and state residue sampling programs underscore the safety of all produce.  These results should provide reassurance to consumers that they can buy the produce they enjoy and is affordable and accessible to them.

AFF Influencer Tour:  In case you missed it, the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) hosted its seventh Safe Fruits and Veggies Farm Tour in August on the Central Coast of California.

The 2024 tour guests are contributors to Good Morning America, The Today Show, Washington Post, ABC News, Food and Wine, Vogue, Southern Living, Parents, Eating Well, Food Network, Shape, Forbes, among others.  In addition to their significant reach in mainstream media, they have millions of combined followers on social media.

Each of the AFF’s farm tours are filled with learning, realizations, conversations and connections. For a peak into the 2024 tour, read our “reflections” blog here. 

The AFF tours provide an important opportunity to show what farmers do with others who have influence with consumers.  And, we need these influencers help to communicate how much farmers care and to battle all the misinformation about farming, food and diets that is so prevalent today.

Visit @safeproduce to learn more about the safety of all produce.