Availability, Price, and Quality of Fruits and Vegetables in 12 Rural Montana Counties, 2014

Abstract

We assessed the consumer food environment in rural areas by using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Stores (NEMS–S) to measure the availability, price, and quality of fruits and vegetables. We randomly selected 20 grocery stores (17 rural, 3 urban) in 12 Montana counties using the 2013 US Department of Agriculture’s rural–urban continuum codes. We found significant differences in NEMS–S scores for quality of fruits and vegetables; of 6 possible points, the mean quality score was 4.5; of rural stores, the least rural stores had the highest mean quality scores (6.0). Intervention strategies should aim to increase fruit and vegetable quality in rural areas.

Fruit and vegetable desirability is lower in more rural built food environments of Montana, USA using the Produce Desirability (ProDes) Tool

“…These findings are in line with previous studies showing that produce from rural built food environments is of lower quality than in more metropolitan areas (Byker Shanks et al 2015a). The lower ProDes scores for FV desirability in more rural areas may be due to limited infrastructure for food distribution that pose obstacles to maintaining high-quality produce in rural built food environments (Calancie et al 2015; Johnson et al 2015) as FV quality degrades over time.…”

“…NEMS-S scores for the stores included in this study were previously reported by Byker Shanks et al (2015a) and are shown in Table 1. The average NEMS-S total availability score was 17.6 (SD = 5.3; out of 30 possible points), the average total price score was 2.9 (SD = 3.0; out of −9 to 18 possible range), and the average total quality score (acceptability of FV) was 4.2 (SD = 1.9; out of 6 possible points).…”

“…However, the majority of adults worldwide consume fewer FVs than the amounts recommended by dietary guidelines (Moore and Thompson 2016; National Cancer Institute 2016). A vast body of literature highlights that disparities exist in accessing and consuming FVs depending on location (Byker Shanks et al 2015a; Lutifyya et al 2012; Story et al 2008). For example, rural populations in the state of Montana in the United States have been shown to have less access to FVs from the market compared to more urban populations, including less access to higher quality produce (Byker Shanks et al 2015a).…”

“…A vast body of literature highlights that disparities exist in accessing and consuming FVs depending on location (Byker Shanks et al 2015a; Lutifyya et al 2012; Story et al 2008). For example, rural populations in the state of Montana in the United States have been shown to have less access to FVs from the market compared to more urban populations, including less access to higher quality produce (Byker Shanks et al 2015a). Disparities that exist between rural and urban communities have implications for health outcomes including diet-related chronic disease (Story et al 2008).…”

Food Costs Are Higher in Counties With Poor Health Rankings

“…In an analysis of 855 U.S. grocery stores, both 1% fat and skim milk were significantly more expensive in majority black communities than in majority white communities (20). Fruit and vegetable prices did not vary in twelve rural Montana counties, although fruit and vegetable quality was significantly better in the least rural counties (21). …”