Eat Them to Defeat Them boosts kids’ and parents’ veg consumption

The 2024 Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign has returned impressive results as it continues to have a positive impact on children’s veg-eating habits.

Now in its sixth year, the 2024 campaign reached 620,000 kids from 2,375 primary and special schools, organiser Veg Power reported.

Over the past six years, through a combination of over £20m of advertising and the schools’ programme, some 1.7 million children from over 5,000 primary and special schools have benefited from the campaign, with some participating as many as six times.

The campaign is crediting with supporting an increase in veg consumption in not only children participating in the schools’ programme, but their parents as well.

2024 campaign boosts family consumption

Veg Power said that its evaluation of the 2024 Eat Them to Defeat Them schools’ programme found 77 per cent of parents reported that their child had eaten more veg and interestingly, 62 per cent also stated their child’s participation had led to an increase in their own veg-eating habits.

The real power of the campaign comes from repeated participation in schools, Veg Power stressed. In parents whose children have taken part more than once, 55 per cent reported a lasting and long-term improvement in the volume and variety of vegetables eaten.

The campaign’s impact even extends to the wider family, with 70 per cent of those parents stating they too were eating more veg.

The evaluation also found 87 per cent of children and 90 per cent of parents who took part this year have asked to do it again. Veg Power has confirmed that Eat Them to Defeat Them will return in 2025.

‘Steadily more effective’

Dan Parker, chief executive of Veg Power, said: “Our evaluation data has shown that the Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign is not only much loved and well known by this generation of children, but critically it is also becoming steadily more effective each year.

“This is regardless of household income and demonstrates it works across all income brackets. We’re thrilled with the results that show we are slowly making a difference to improving vegetable acceptance and our nation’s diet.

“The crucial next step will be to bring about more positive change with our 2025 campaign and just imagine what we could achieve if all children in primary school benefited from the schools’ programme, rather than just 10-20 per cent.”