Freshfel Europe and Aprifel are launching a joint EU-funded digital campaign called 'Follow me to be Healthy with Europe' to encourage young Europeans to increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables to a minimum of 400g a day – the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation.
The campaign, which launches today (4 July) at the Eurockéenne music festival in Belfort, will run until the end of 2021 and will live online under the hashtag #400gChallenge.
'In Europe, one in five adults are obese, and by 2030 it is estimated that more than 50 per cent of the European population will suffer from obesity,' the joint statement read. 'According to the WHO, fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet. As such, the WHO recommends the consumption of at least 400g of fruit and vegetables per day. Yet, fruit and vegetable consumption levels across most of the EU Member States remains well below this consumption target, with only 14 per cent of the European population meeting this recommendation.
'This low fruit and vegetable consumption is particularly noticeable among 18-30 year olds,' the statement continued. 'In fact, European young adults are barely aware of the importance of consuming fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet. For this reason, Freshfel Europe and Aprifel have chosen to focus this pan-European awareness campaign on this specific target group.'
The objective of the three-year digital campaign is to increase awareness of the role that a healthy diet, and particularly fruit and vegetables, play in leading a healthy lifestyle, to ultimately transform millennials’ dietary habits.
The campaign will be present on various social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and supported by a wide range of European lifestyle bloggers and influencers.
Monthly videos featuring a young couple, a young professional and a student will provide tips and tricks on how to easily integrate fruit and vegetables into their daily diets, and inform millennials on the health benefits of these products. These videos will also coincide with infographics, acting as easy-to-use reminders of the tips provided in the videos.
