A group of children stood in front of a wall of neon-colored jugs of punch in a south-area grocery store Sunday. They looked up at the yellow, orange and pink concoctions that made a tantalizing display. The boys and girls were taking an educational tour of the FoodMaxx on Florin Road during Sunday's Fruit and Veggie Fest. The festival was part of a statewide effort this month to help low-income families make healthier choices at the supermarket.

Tour leader Sita Kuteira, with the West Sacramento-based nonprofit Health Education Council, pulled down a gallon of tangerine-colored "citrus punch" and asked the kids to read the ingredients. It took them a minute to pronounce the second one on the list: high-fructose corn syrup.

Then Kuteira took a half-gallon of pure orange juice from a refrigerator across the aisle and asked the kids how they could tell the difference. "It has oranges on it," said 9-year-old Leah Nelson of Sacramento.

The overwhelming choices at American supermarkets – where junk food shares aisle space with wholesome fare – makes reading nutrition labels essential, Kuteira said.

Similar-looking canned goods, for instance, can have very different levels of sugar and sodium, she said.

In another part of the store, nutritionists gave demonstrations on how to make familiar dishes healthier.

In a soul-food cooking demonstration geared toward African Americans, crunchy red cabbage, low-fat mayonnaise and shredded carrots were used to make rainbow slaw.

A class for Latinos focused on using fresh tomatoes, cilantro and green onions in a corn salad.

In the parking lot, booths touted fresh produce and a bicycled-powered blender cranked out fruit smoothies.

The festival was hosted by the Network for a Healthy California, a government-sponsored effort; the Health Education Council; and FoodMaxx.

Similar festivals are being held around the state in May.

They are part of a state and federally funded effort to battle an epidemic of obesity. Event organizers said 61 percent of adults in Sacramento County are overweight or obese.

Key to fighting that battle is changing deeply ingrained eating habits, organizers said.

"Our goal," said Chinedu Nwaigwe, with the Health Education Council, "is to engage and empower low-income families across the state to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to incorporate exercise into their lives."