Sainsbury’s plans to get the message out about the benefits of eating veg, as well as adding more vegetables into its product range.
The supermarket will increase the amount of products that contain a ‘One of Your 5 A Day’ message by at least 30, as well as including a ‘One of Your 5 A Day’ promise into new product development briefs for soups, sandwiches, salads and ready meals.
Making the announcement at the Food Foundation’s Vegetable Summit, Sainsbury’s head of quality, safety and supplier performance Alec Kyriakides said the retailer will also promote the benefits of vegetables through its digital channels by ensuring veg is either on the homepage or fresh produce landing pages, include at least two portions of veg in main meal recipes and provide positive messages about vegetables within its recipes.
Kyriakides added that in main Sainsbury’s stores, vegetables will always be positioned in higher footfall areas and a vegetable option will also be included when there is a fresh inspirational plinth. At least one vegetable will also be listed in the produce promotional space.
In a nod to consumers in poorer areas who often struggle to get their quota of fresh produce, Kyriakides pledged that Sainsbury’s will emphasise to staff to remind consumers that Healthy Start vouchers can be spent on vegetables, as well as including veg-based recipes when communicating with the media.
Outlining the scale of the challenge, Kyriakides said: “In the marketing arena I’ve noticed most messages are about what you should stop doing and reduce eating. This is an opportunity to tell people to eat more veg. We see this as a collective effort to increase consumption.
“We have to make consumers see veg as something sexy – we have to be more upbeat about vegetables. We need the Milk Tray man to be parachuting in with courgettes!”
