Adults are told to consume between 2.5 and 3 cups of vegetables each day, but according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s becoming increasingly harder to meet that goal.
The data shows that only 1.7 cups per person are available, and potatoes and tomatoes make up about 50 percent of that production.
That gap has been present in West Virginia as well, said Buddy Davidson, communications officer for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. “We eat $7 billion worth of food in West Virginia every year, and we produce less than $1 billion, and a majority of that comes from commercial poultry and cattle,” Davidson said.