Briefly speaking: Farmer's market back on campus

Your student has long passed the picky-eater toddler stage, but you may still worry whether he or she eats enough fruits and vegetables — and with good reason. A recent survey on campus indicates that 60 percent of students eat two or fewer servings of these nutrition-packed foods a day.

A delicious, colorful array of fresh produce at the East Quad Farmer's Market this spring may change those numbers.

The market will feature fruits, nuts, olive oil, flowers, salad greens and other veggies from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from May 9 through June 6.

Making fresh easy

"By increasing access to fresh produce, we hope to make it easier for students to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diet," says Michelle Johnston, health promotion supervisor at the Cowell Student Health Center.

Through various sponsors, the campus hosted its first farmer's market last fall in tandem with the Campus Community Book Project. The book selection, "The Omnivore's Dilemma," highlights the benefits of eating locally grown food. Johnston says the reception was positive, and she hopes the longer hours this quarter will draw even more students.

One of the few farmer's markets at a University of California campus, the project is aligned with UC Davis' three main missions of teaching, research and service: It helps support local farmers. Health Education and Promotion interns will provide nutrition information at the market. And the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program will help evaluate the project for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is helping support the market management with a grant.

"We realize that students are pressed for time, so this gives them the opportunity to stop by between classes or during a lunch break to pick up good, fresh produce," Johnston says. "The fresher the food, the better it tastes — and we all like to eat tasty food."