National Fruits & Veggies Month

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^[1][2] and to celebrate in song and culture how they are grown, distributed, and consumed.^[3] 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.^[4][5] The 'Take the Have a Plant pledge' is to "add one more fruit or vegetable to your routine, every day this month."^[6] 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.^[7]

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).^[4] The PBH Have a Plant consumer movement replaces their previous Fruits & Veggies: More Matters public education program.^[8] 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.^[9]

• 2019: Have A Plant – Food Rooted In A Better Mood
• 2020 - Have A Plant Nation^[10][11]
• 2021 - Celebrating The Roots Of Our Food^[12]
• 2022 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant®^[13]
• 2023 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant®^{[14][15][16][17][18]}
• 2024 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant®^[19]
• 2025 - Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant®^[20]

The PBH-CDC coalition began around 2010 with the National Cancer Institute.^[21][22][23] National Fruits & Veggies Month is recognized by public health authorities and produce distribution companies.^[24][25] 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!”^[26]

• 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.

• Global Burden of Disease
• Plant-based diet