A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that most adults in the US consume fewer fruits and vegetables than recommended by the federal government.

According to the report, less than 15% of US citizens met their recommended fruit intake, and 8.9% met vegetable recommendations in 2013.

Adults who engage in less than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day should consume between 1.5 and two cups of fruit and two to three cups of vegetables daily, according to federal recommendations.

Fruit and vegetable intake was lowest in the south. In Tennessee, just 7.5% of citizens met the fruit intake recommendation, and in Mississippi, 5.5% of adults ate the recommended portion of vegetables. The highest percentages were in California, where 17.7% of adults consumed the recommended portion of fruit .

The study’s lead author, Latetia V Moore of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC, said the low numbers were tied to socioeconomic factors, as well as convenience.

“It has to do with convenience, affordability, palatability,” Moore said. “It’s making sure fruits and vegetables are conveniently priced and convenient to access.”

Moore and the report’s co-authors studied data from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey of 373,580 people across all 50 states and Washington DC. The survey asked people about the frequency of their fruit and vegetable intake, and took personal characteristics such as ethnicity, age and income into account.

Researchers compared survey results with recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which measured intake by number of cups rather than frequency.

Overall, in 2013, 50% of respondents consumed fruit less than once a day and vegetables less than 1.7 times a day. The report said most adults took in “too few fruits and vegetables”, acknowledging that results substantially varied by state.

Fruit and vegetable intake can be tied to heart disease and stroke. The study was focused on American adults, but Moore said she is starting to see a shift toward incorporating healthier foods into children’s diets.

The CDC suggested work sites, school districts, early care and other education providers meet or exceed current federal nutrition standards for meals and snacks by serving fruit and vegetables whenever food is offered.

“Wherever you are, we’d like to see you eat fruits and vegetables,” said Moore.