Fresh produce suppliers have the chance to be involved in a new high-level healthy eating campaign that aims to increase the UK’s vegetable intake by tackling issues in the food system.
The Peas Please campaign, which is run by the Food Foundation and launched officially in November 2016, aims to tackle the barriers to increasing veg consumption across the food system.
It takes a different approach to former healthy eating campaigns, such as 5 A DAY, which target consumers, and moves away from the belief that the consumer is solely responsible for increasing their vegetable intake. Instead it hopes to increase consumption by tackling a wide range of issues, such as support for the produce sector, and low spend on advertising of healthy food.
Fresh produce suppliers can get involved by signing up to one of the eight workstreams the campaign is running, which look at increasing veg intake in areas ranging from low income communities, schools and cities, convenience, and foodservice, as well as lobbying government for better support for UK fruit and veg producers.
Executive director of the Food Foundation Anna Taylor said: “We are looking for producers and suppliers within the fresh produce industry to get involved with one of the workstreams, and help increase consumption of vegetables in your part of the supply chain.”
Taylor said several retailers, large produce firms, markets, trade bodies and other stakeholders from the fresh produce industry have already signed up to the workstreams, which will meet between January and June and develop a range of asks linked to increasing veg consumption.
The campaign chose to focus on increasing veg consumption, rather than fruit, due to the opportunities it offers for British growers and the British economy, as well as the benefits to public health, Taylor added.
