In August of 2011, A. Sullivan-Greiner, a resident of San Diego, CA, asked The Union of Concerned Scientists, a leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world, why, given all we know about the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet, and the government’s emphasis on the “Five a Day” campaign, are most fruits and vegetables still classified as “specialty crops?” 

Southern Selects’ hand-peeled, multi-colored baby carrots with green tops. (Photo courtesy of Southern Specialties)“Aren’t Congress and the USDA sending a mixed message here?” his question continued.

Karen Perry Stillerman, senior analyst in the UCS Food and Environment Program, responded to Ms. Sullivan-Greiner by stating, “You are right that the designation of most fruits and vegetables as ‘specialty crops’ seems directly at odds with years of federal government dietary guidelines. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new ‘MyPlate’ recommendations, for example, urge Americans to make fruits and vegetables a bigger part of every meal. By simultaneously branding some of the healthiest foods as ‘specialty’ items, the department provides a perverse disincentive not just for consumers to buy healthy, fresh produce but also for U.S. farmers to grow it in the first place.”

Ms. Perry Stillerman went on to say that farming and food production decisions in the United States are dominated by agribusiness concerns.

The designation specialty crop is intended to distinguish these crops from commodity crops — non-perishable crops such as corn and soybeans, that are most often grown as livestock feed and as ingredients in highly processed foods rather than as foods people eat directly.

“Commodity crops are often grown on huge tracts of land and bought and sold by agribusiness giants such as Monsanto and Cargill,” she stated. “These crops receive the lion’s share of farm subsidies from the U.S. government. The 2008 farm bsill took a step toward leveling the playing field by mandating at least some relatively small amounts of funding for research and state government projects to enhance the competitiveness of fruit and vegetable farmers. But most of even that assistance benefits industrial-scale produce growers and sellers.”

She went on to say that in the end, while Ms. Sullivan-Greiner’s suggestion to change the terminology is a good one, it is probably more important that the government steps up efforts to promote the production of fruits and vegetables by farmers of all sizes and to make them more affordable to consumers in a variety of ways.

“As we note in our [2011] UCS report, Market Forces: Creating Jobs Through Public Investment in Local and Regional Food Systems, farmers markets typically focus on local sales of fresh produce, and have expanded to become an increasingly important part of our food system. The number of farmers markets in the United States speaks for itself — increasing, with very little taxpayer support, from just 340 in 1970 to more than 7,000 today.”

The remainder of Ms. Stillerman response addressed local food systems and the farm bill, rather than specifically addressing Ms. Sullivan-Greiner’s question.

The short answer to her question is that the USDA names any crop that is not government subsidized, such as feed crops, a specialty crop.

The produce, retail and foodservice industries know differently. Just put plain commodity carrots next to hand-peeled, multi-colored baby carrots with green tops, and then ask anyone which is the specialty produce item.