Government urges Americans to eat their vegetables

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman told the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Growers at their convention in Washington Thursday that they will summon the heads of all the fast food chains to their offices to urge them to serve fresh fruits and vegetables in their establishments.

According to several participants in the session, Thompson, who in recent appearances has frequently stated that better diets could reduce government health costs, proposed the meeting and Veneman said she agreed it would be a good idea.

Reps. Sam Farr, D-Calif., and Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., also released a GAO report Thursday that said even though the Agriculture Department's Food Guide Pyramid recommends that fruits and vegetables constitute 33 percent of food servings, USDA spends less than 5 percent of its budget on fruits and vegetables.

GAO recommended increased federal education efforts to encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables.