The popular programme “Eat Them to Defeat Them”, which encourages children to consume more vegetables, is set to return for a third year in February 2021.
The campaign is part of ITV’s wider Better Health priorities to encourage 10 million people to take action in supporting their physical or mental health by 2023 and supports Veg Power’s mission to get kids across the UK to eat more veg.
The initiative uniquely positions both television and social media ads and video showing children battling the temptations of unhealthy food by choosing to ally themselves with the more powerful veg in a quest to make all of them stronger.
“Every parent knows what it’s like trying to encourage children to eat something they don’t want to eat. It’s no wonder only 1 in 5 children has the recommended daily amount of vegetables,” Clare Phillips, Director of Social Purpose, ITV. “The magic of this initiative is coming at the issue from a child’s point of view and making eating vegetables genuinely fun. We’re so grateful to all the supermarket and food brands, broadcasters and media partners that have made this campaign possible – getting over 500 million additional kids’ portions of veg into tummies across the country.”
Channel 4 and Sky Media are also drivers of the Eat Them to Defeat Them mission. TV advertisers say they have reaching 46 million people and a primary schools’ programme for 425,000 kids through the campaign, which was developed by advertising agency adam&eve through a £10m commitment to encourage children to eat better and be more active.
“It has never been more important for us all to eat our vegetables,” said Dan Parker, Chief Executive, Veg Power, which was founded by the Food Foundation, Hugh-Fearnley-Whittingstall, Sir John Hegarty and Baroness Boycott to turn around vegetable consumption in the UK. “Eat Them To Defeat Them makes veggies fun, it engages kids through the buzz of a brilliant TV campaign supported by activation in stores, schools and homes across the country and amplified by a host of celebrities and supporters on social media. These hard retail sales data confirm our extensive survey data – kids are eating more veg thanks to this campaign.”
