Public-health minister Anna Soubry launched a new phase in the Change4Life campaign today with a prime-time TV advertising “takeover” in England set to boost fruit and vegetable uptake through Aldi, Asda and The Co-operative.
The campaign exposes so-called “hidden nasties” in everyday foods and aims to help people be “food smart”.
Graphic adverts made by animator Aardman reveal how many sugar cubes are in a bottle of cola and how many glasses of fat in a large pizza, and will air on ITV during soap opera Coronation Street. According to the minister, it is the first time an advertising break has been subject to a “takeover” by healthy products only.
Soubry said: “Making healthier, balanced meals on a budget can be a challenge for families. This new Change4Life campaign offers families free healthy recipes and money off those much-needed cupboard essentials to encourage everyone to try healthy alternatives.
“We want to make it easy for everyone to keep track of what they eat and make healthier choices. That is why we are also developing a simple and clear system for front of pack labelling that everyone can use.”
FPC chief executive Nigel Jenney added: “In overall terms this is positive, but we would like to see the focus brought back onto 5 A Day.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from The Co-operative Food said: “We are keen to support the Be Food Smart campaign to encourage customers to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. We have supported Change4 Life since its launch in 2009, and our involvement in this campaign is part of our ongoing work to deliver the Responsibility Deal Diet and Health pledges and our wider commitment to help improve the nation’s health.'
