The USDA says we should be eating more fruits and vegetables. Our farmers can grow the healthy foods we need, with a little help from forward-looking agricultural policy.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled a new set of dietary guidelines, dubbed "MyPlate," recommending that fruits and vegetables make up 50 percent of our daily food intake.
But these healthy foods are currently grown on only 2 percent of U.S. farm acres. Furthermore, federal taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize unhealthy, processed foods instead of the fruits and vegetables necessary for a healthy diet.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Our infographic, “Plant the Plate,” illustrates how American farmers could grow the fruits and vegetables we need, while also creating jobs and benefiting local economies.