Last year, Mack Multiples embarked on a primary school flash-card project aimed at reinforcing the 5 A DAY government campaign through its service, thinkvegetables.co.uk. One of the largest and most successful suppliers of fresh vegetables in the UK, Mack’s already established website was annexed with a section to provide information on all the main vegetables, particularly for the media but also for vegetable supply and retailing companies.
The campaign’s main aims were to convey the facts that vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet, they are versatile, easy to prepare and taste good, as well as reinforcing thinkvegetables.co.uk as a reliable and useful source.
Described as both “inspired” and “effective”, the campaign involved the creation of a series of 10 double-sided laminated A4 flash-cards that would act as a lasting educational resource for schools. Before setting out on this mission, Mack liaised with the 5 A DAY campaign and the Department of Health, which then distributed the flash-cards to area coordinators in the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. Under the careful supervision of an education consultant, who made sure the project followed the national curriculum, Mack created flash-cards featuring vegetables that were chosen for their popularity and nutritional benefits. The information on the flash-cards cover the key nutrients found in that particular vegetable, its health benefits, preparation and storage advice as well as cooking suggestions. Reciprocal links were set up on the 5 A DAY website and thinkvegetables.co.uk and more than 100 sets of flash-cards were produced and distributed to the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme coordinators.
The campaign was very effective, with coordinators reporting that the flash-cards were popular and made a worthwhile contribution to their work. Alison Morris, area co-ordinator for the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme at the Nottingham Nutrition and Dietetic Service, said of the flash-cards: “[They are] a great resource for schools. They are colourful, informative and easy to read - just the type of thing that schools need in their quest to encourage children and young people to eat more healthily. They make a great focal point for discussion about healthy eating in class, and they help reinforce the 5 A DAY message.”
This success encouraged Mack to build on its educational work by adding a learning resources section to thinkvegetables.co.uk - offering extra support to the 5 A DAY campaign by displaying links to downloadable resources and activities for Key Stages 1 and 2. There is also an option to downloading the flash-cards from this section on the website.
It seems that this campaign has made a massive impression on Mack Multiples, and winning the Re:fresh award last year is testament to that. On winning the Re:fresh 5 A DAY Supporter of the Year last year, Mack’s commercial director, James Hallett, said: “We’re grateful for the recognition that is deserved for the thinkvegetables.co.uk website. We have spent time and effort in driving vegetable consumption and awareness in both the print media and in schools. This accolade is a just reward for that investment by Mack Multiples.”
Thinkvegetables.co.uk not only provides information for the 5 A DAY campaign, it offers a wealth of knowledge for consumers and trade alike with its easy-to-use system providing access to everything you could wish to know about the seasonal vegetables available, as well as recipes and a large media image library.
