Read the report, Economic Impacts of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Production and Consumption in Iowa [PDF]

What would be the economic impact if Iowans followed a diet of five servings of selected Iowa-grown fruit and vegetables each day for three months of the year while they are in season?

A new Leopold Center report considered additional production of apples, carrots, spinach, squash and tomatoes, half marketed directly by Iowa producers and half sold through
existing retail stores, that would achieve these results. The report found that these changes could result in an additional $302 million in sales and more than 4,000 jobs added to the Iowa economy.

“This is an important question to consider because it ties healthy eating to the additional economic development that could occur if Iowa farmers provided some of the food for this change in diet,” said Rich Pirog, who leads the Center’s Marketing and Food Systems Initiative.

“Eating five servings of fruit and vegetables is recommended because of the potential health benefits, but if more of that produce is grown in Iowa, the state would reap considerable economic benefits, too,” he added.

The report addressed four different scenarios, each hypothesizing an increase in the production of fruit and vegetables in Iowa. The “five-a-day” scenario would increase Iowa consumption of five produce items (apples, carrots, spinach, squash and tomatoes) to a total of five daily half-cup servings, with 100 percent of the crops coming from Iowa farms for three months of the year. Pirog said these items were selected because they can be grown easily in all Iowa counties and potentially could be supplied for three months of the year. They also were chosen for their higher nutrient density relative to other choices.

The economic impact analysis was prepared by Dave Swenson, an associate scientist in the Iowa State University Department of Economics, and reviewed by Pirog and Angie Tagtow, registered dietitian for the Iowa Department of Public Health.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, only 19.5 percent of Iowans eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Using current estimates, only 25 to 50 percent of the apples, 12 percent of the squash, 10 percent of the tomatoes, 5 percent of the carrots and 1 percent of the spinach consumed on a fresh weight basis in Iowa is grown within the state.

Swenson and Pirog said the scenarios generated in the report are hypothetical, and would require huge shifts in the infrastructure of Iowa’s fruit and vegetable industry, as well as gains in the Iowa market share taken from states such as California. Pirog added: “Even though the scenarios are hypothetical, it is important to consider options that could be a win-win for Iowa’s farmers, the state’s economy, and our overall health.”