Barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption among farmers' market incentive programme users in Illinois, USA

Objective Previous research indicates that low-income individuals often struggle to consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables (FV 81·7 % female; 28·7 % African American; 44·0 % obese) completed a survey at participating farmers’ markets across the state. Information on demographics, food shopping behaviours, programme satisfaction, barriers to F&V consumption and frequency of F&V consumption was collected and examined. Results Approximately 23 % of survey participants reported consuming F&V ≥3 times/d. The barriers to F&V consumption most often reported by survey participants were the cost of F&V (29·5 %), spoilage (18·6 %), knowing how to cook F&V (8·7 %) and not thinking about F&V when hungry (8·6 %). Results from multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models suggested that reporting one or more barriers was associated with reduced odds of consuming vegetables ≥3 times/d, but not fruits. Conclusions Cost, spoilage and knowledge of cooking are key barriers to F&V consumption that exist among LINK Up Illinois users. Strategies are needed to mitigate these barriers and increase F&V consumption in this population.