Foods from Spain director Maria Jose Sevilla accepts the award from FPJ editor Laura Gould

Foods from Spain director Maria Jose Sevilla accepts the award from FPJ editor Laura Gould

Foods from Spain has scooped the Re:fresh 5 A DAY Supporter of the Year award for its commitment to healthy eating and promotional efforts in consumer and trade advertising carried out in the UK.

As part of its 2008 marketing campaign, run by RED Communications, the Spanish fresh produce industry’s generic promotional body ran a national primary schools competition, which asked children in school years three to six to produce a collage that represented healthy eating with fresh fruit and vegetables from Spain.

Children from North Yorkshire primary school North Duffield beat almost 500 entries from classes around the country with their “Say Olé to 5 A DAY” collage, which shows a graceful dancer wearing a dress covered in Spanish fruit and vegetables.

María José Sevilla, director of Foods from Spain, said: “Foods from Spain uses the 5 A DAY message and logo throughout its promotional campaign for fresh produce, using it in activity from in-store advertising and information booklets in packs, to our website and releases to the press and other media. This year, judges of our third annual National Primary Schools Competition also selected a collage with a 5 A DAY theme as winner.

“The 5 A DAY message is incredibly simple and with the average British consumer falling well short of this target, it is essential that organisations in fresh produce get behind it in as many ways as they can.

“We are really pleased to be chosen as 5 A DAY Supporter of the Year and we’ll continue to promote 5 A DAY throughout our campaign.”

The organisation beat off stiff competition from national foodservice supplier Pauleys, which reconfigured its boxes to include the 5 A DAY logo prominently, and importer Capespan, which fielded a team in the Race For Life and provided free fruit.