A campaign has been launched by the Food Foundation to improve the availability and convenience of fruit and veg in an effort to boost consumption.
The Peas Please campaign, which began on 7 November, aims to connect farmers, retailers, fast food and restaurant chains, processors and government departments to make it easier for people to eat the recommended daily intake of fruit and veg.
The campaign is looking to secure commitments from the food industry and government to boost fruit and veg consumption, recognising that education programmes to date have proven insufficient.
On the campaign website, the Food Foundation think tank recognises that FIVE A DAY “has been a great consumer education campaign”, but stresses that Peas Please “isn’t about awareness”. Instead, we need to “change the food environment and the food system to make it easier for us to eat our veg,” according to the initiative.
Through industry and government commitments, Peas Please aims to improve the availability, convenience, affordability and quality of the vegetables available in shops, schools and restaurants.
Children and families on low incomes, in particular, are being targeted to address the gap in consumption between rich and poor.
On 24 November the Food Foundation is organising a seminar at the ExCel convention centre in London on how the industry can make it easier to eat more vegetables, exploring market trends and demographic variations in vegetable consumption and production across the UK.
To show your support and get involved in the initiative, visit the Peas Please page on the Food Foundation website.
