This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Fruits and vegetables

Regular consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is the cornerstone of a healthy diet and can lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, on the other hand, is one of the top 10 risk factors contributing to global mortality, leading to approximately 2.7 million deaths worldwide. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend an average consumption of at least 4 servings of fruits and 5 servings of vegetables per day. However, only 8% of the U.S. population consume the recommended amount of fruit, and only 6% achieve the recommended intake of vegetables.

To encourage people to incorporate more fruits and vegetables as a central component of their diet, this feature requires that a variety of each is readily available where food is provided. These requirements are not applicable to projects that do not provide food service or vending.

Part 1: Fruit and Vegetable Variety

If solid foods are sold or distributed on a daily basis on the premises by (or under contract with) the project owner, then the selection includes at least one of the following:

a. At least 2 varieties of fruits (containing no added sugar) and at least 2 varieties of non-fried vegetables.
b. At least 50% of available options are fruits and/or non-fried vegetables.
Part 2: Fruit and Vegetable Promotion

Cafeterias operated or contracted by the project owner, if present, include the following design interventions:

a.180 Salad bar or a similar salad-providing section which is positioned away from the walls, allowing 360° access.
b.73 Fruits and vegetables are visually apparent, either through display or through color photographs on the menu.
c.73 Vegetable dishes are placed at the beginning of the food service line.
d.73 Fruits or fruit dishes are placed in a bowl or in a stand at the checkout location.
Cardiovascular
Digestive
Immune
Endocrine

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell New & Existing Buildings New & Existing Interiors
Part 1: Fruit and Vegetable Variety - P P
Part 2: Fruit and Vegetable Promotion - P P
Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
Part 1: Fruit and Vegetable Variety - P - P -
Part 2: Fruit and Vegetable Promotion - P - P -

Verification Methods Matrix

Letters of Assurance Annotated Documents On-Site Checks
Part 1: Fruit and Vegetable Variety Operations Schedule Spot Check
Part 2: Fruit and Vegetable Promotion Operations Schedule Spot Check
73

Hanks AS, Just DR, Wansink B. Smarter Lunchrooms Can Address New School Lunchroom Guidelines and Childhood Obesity. 2013. The Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 162, Issue 4, pp. 867-869.

38.2.c

Smarter Lunchrooms Can Address New School Lunchroom Guidelines and Childhood Obesity recommends vegetable dishes be made available at the start of the food distribution line.

38.2.d

Smarter Lunchrooms Can Address New School Lunchroom Guidelines and Childhood Obesity recommends that fruits are made available at the checkout location.

38.2.b

Smarter Lunchrooms Can Address New School Lunchroom Guidelines and Childhood Obesity recommends color photo of fruit and vegetables on menu selection.

180

Wansink B. Smarter Lunchrooms. In: Slim By Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers; 2014: 185-224.

38.2.a

In Slim by Design, Wansink notes that in one intervention in a school, positioning the salad bar away from the wall led to an increase in salad bar sales by 200 to 300 percent within a few weeks.