During the growing season, my local farmer's market has fantastic prices on fruits and vegetables. I could walk in there once a week with $20 in hand and walk out with a week's worth of produce for my family of four. Each booth also carried the familiar yellow sign that indicated they accepted the state vouchers that are handed out to those on government assistance. It's all very feel good -- even the poor can eat nutritiously, right? It seemed that way to me, until I realized that the farmer's market is only open Thursdays, from 12-4. Those hours that make it nearly impossible for any working person without a decent lunch break to try and shop, and since the market isn't near the city's center, they'd also need reliable transportation to get there.

According to this article from HealthDay, the cost and availability of fruits and vegetables -- especially in rural areas -- are putting them farther out of reach for many Americans. To meet the ADA's guidelines of 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, a family of four would have to spend 40-70% of their food budget on produce. And that's if they can find a store that carries produce in their area.

Nutritional experts say that a higher allocation of food stamps and more farmer's markets in poor and rural areas would help families in need choose better quality foods. What do you think?

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The United States Department of Agriculture releases a series of pamphlets to poor people, detailing how they can get enough to eat, boost their nutrition, and apply for food stamps. A recent study found that these booklets are poorly written, aren't aimed at their target audience, and don't reach 40% of those who need them.

In 2004, 38 million people, including 13.9 million children, couldn't afford nutritionally balanced meals -- often because they either cut portion sizes, or simply weren't able to eat three meals a day. The ineffectiveness of these USDA pamphlets is an additional burden to escaping the food insecurity felt by those only tight budgets.

The study, conducted by the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, will be released in the January/February issue of the "American Journal of Health Promotion."

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