EDITORIAL : MUTINY AMID THE BOUNTY; MOST CALIFORNIANS PUT THEIR HEALTH AT RISK BY OVERLOOKING THE STATE'S VEGGIE ADVANTAGE.

HOW shocking. Here we are, in a state that produces about half of the nation's produce, and guess what? Two out of three people in this notoriously health-conscious state don't eat enough fruits and vegetables.

In fact, Californians now eat less fresh produce than the average American.

This distressing information comes from the state Department of Health Services.

The department reported this week that millions of Californians aren't getting the recommended daily servings of five fruits and vegetables daily. Most eat only 3.8 servings. Worse, they are eating less produce than they did two years ago.

``One of the things we know is that if you eat the minimum five servings, that helps prevent cancer, heart disease and stroke,'' said Trinette Beauchemin, a spokeswoman for the department.

``If you look at the big picture, 35,000 deaths in California each year are the result of preventable disease related to poor diet. Statewide, $15 million is spent on health care costs related to those sicknesses.''

Most people probably are aware of the benefits of eating their veggies and the hazards of not doing so, but aren't motivated enough to change their habits. We hope the Department of Health Service's warning will help persuade people who skip fruits and vegetables to mend their ways.

But let's face it. There is such a thing as information overload. A lot of people are weary of health warnings about this and that and subconsciously turn them off. So perhaps what's needed are other ways to get their attention.

A case in point is what happened eight years ago after then-President Bush admitted he hates broccoli.

A group of farmers in California, where most of the nation's broccoli is grown, loaded a truck with $7,000 worth of broccoli and sent it to a food bank in the nation's capital to get some positive publicity for their product.

So perhaps now's the time for California farmers who grow carrots, beans, lettuce, melons, citrus, peaches, pears, plums, apricots, cherries, berries, dates, onions, artichokes, avocados, almonds and lots of other good stuff to make better use of their marketing skills and promote more-balanced diets.

A positive result would be good for public health, good for farmers and good for the economy, too.