Tag Archives: promotion

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall calls for veg marketing fund

Television chef and food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has called for an advertising fund dedicated to the promotion of vegetables in order to compete with the marketing of junk food.

His comments came as he joined forces with the Pease Please campaign, which is organised and funded by the Food Foundation, to launch their new campaign targeted at children. “It’s time to shout about how great veg is, and how vital it is for families to buy, cook and eat more of it. Unlike all the junk food and confectionery we are relentlessly sold every day, our delicious vegetables are not ‘owned’ by massive global brands so they don’t get the marketing and advertising clout they deserve,” he said.

“Having a pooled marketing budget from retailers, producers and government is a brilliant idea. It means we can get top agencies behind the marketing of veg, which will drive up demand and boost consumption.”

This year’s Peas Please campaign is based on a design which was voted for by children from across the UK, following more than 60 entries from design agencies and students. The advert will be displayed at more than 5,000 locations including Co-op stores, school canteens and as street art.

Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, commented, “There is not just one answer to tackle the nation’s diet crisis. We are working with businesses to help make the food environment healthier but advertising plays a vital role. At the moment advertising is skewed towards junk food and we need a more balanced playing field to help support us all, and particularly children, to eat more veg.”

Photo Caption: The new campaign was voted for by kids across the UK.

Photo Credit: Food Foundation

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Minette Batters joins Love British Food campaign

NFU Deputy President Minette Batters has become the latest ambassador for the Love British Food campaign.

Ms Batters runs a successful Wiltshire based farming operation which specialises in selling premium store cattle. She is no stranger to driving campaign initiatives having co-founded Ladies in Beef and Great British Beef Week. Her new role supporting Love British Food has been welcomed by campaign founder Alexia Robinson, who said, “We are delighted that Minette Batters has agreed to be an ambassador for us. She is a strong and vociferous campaigner for British agriculture and it’s a great honour to be working alongside her. Minette is hugely knowledgeable and an inspiration to so many in agriculture and in the wider food and drink industry.”

The ongoing Love British Food campaign culminates in British Food Fortnight which this year runs from 23 Sept – 8 Oct 2017 and is the biggest annual national celebration of food and drink produced in the country. The Co-op is once again the official retail partner and the campaign is supported by a committee of high profile organisations such as the WI, Federation of Young Farmers, Campaign to Protect Rural England and a host of catering organisations.

Minette Batters will be joining a growing list of key Love British Food supporters including legendary chef Raymond Blanc and his son Olivier Blanc; well-being writer and organic farmer, Liz Earle; and farmer and former chairman of the National Fed of Young Farmers Clubs, Milly Fyfe.

Photo Credit: Love British Food

The post Minette Batters joins Love British Food campaign appeared first on Hort News on 11 May 2017.

Over 200 proposals for EU agri-food promotion received

EU agri-food promotion programmes have received more than 200 proposals following a call for interest in January.

The programmes fall into two categories: simple programmes from one or more organisations from the same country or multi programmes which are backed by at least two organisations from at least two countries or one or more European-wide organisation.

For 2017, some 189 proposals were received for simple programmes, with 35 proposals for multi programmes. These will now be analysed and successful applicants are expected to be notified in October. The selected campaigns will receive European Commission financing for 70-85% of the total budget and have to use the ‘Enjoy! It’s From Europe,’ branding in their campaigns, which normally last for 3 years.

Some €133m from the EU budget is allocated for these promotional programmes in 2017, with €63 million aimed at simple programmes in non-EU countries and regions, including China, the Middle East, North America, South-East Asia and Japan. The programmes will focus primarily on fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products, as well as quality on the EU’s quality schemes and on raising awareness of sustainable agriculture and the role of agriculture in climate action.

Photo Credit: Flickr

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Potato Council invokes wartime spirit

The Potato Council is urging growers to back its campaign to promote potato consumption using the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on 8th May 2015.

The Potato Council has already asked levy payers to vote on a slogan and now hope that the industry will get behind its promotional efforts. It points out that as part of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, cartoon characters ‘Potato Pete’ and ‘Doctor Carrot’ were introduced to spearhead the initiative; both had their own songs and recipe books and Potato Pete was used to ensure the public understood that not only are potatoes easy to grow, they are also wholesome and nutritious.

Potato Council marketing manager, Kate Cox, comments, “The VE Day 70th anniversary represents a unique opportunity for industry not only to celebrate the importance of the national crop, but to position the positive virtues of potatoes in a modern context. Heavily promoted as a good source of protein and energy in the 1940s, we want to remind consumers about the natural goodness of potatoes. They are a great source of fibre and potassium and because of their versatility and convenience are perfect for modern lifestyles.

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