According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a person should consume fruits and vegetables daily as part of a healthy eating pattern to reduce their risk for chronic diseases such as, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and obesity.  According to the CDC, children are eating more fruit, but their fruit and vegetable intake is still too low. Recommendations by the USDA, range from 1-2 cups for fruits and 1-3 cups for vegetables. In Knox County, Kentucky, the average percentage of fruit and vegetable intake for adults is at 10%, according to Kentucky Health Facts.

Given the fruit and vegetable intake percentage is considerably low in Knox County, the Knox County FCS agent and 4-H agent partnered together to create a “Wally Cat Farmers’ Market Scavenger Hunt”.  Children and Youth that came to the Knox County Farmers' Market were given the opportunity to answer questions while locating certain produce items at the market. When finished with the scavenger hunt, participants then chose from a fresh green pepper or cucumber and received a 5-dollar Farmer’s Market token to purchase fresh produce.

As a result of the program, 100% of participants were able to identify fruits and vegetables, identify the growing process of fruits and vegetables, meet a local farmer, and 92% of participants tried a vegetable.  Thirty children and youth participated in this program.