Date Published: 17 September 2007

safefood research shows parents are encouraging children to eat more fruit and veg

safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board - in the Irish language, An Bord um Chur Chun Cinn Sabháilteachta Bia - is an implementation body. Food safety policies are underpinned by comprehensive access to current, accurate, high quality scientific information, and to adequate means for the analysis and interpretation of such data.

New research conducted by safefood has revealed that 88% of parents intend to encourage their children to eat more fruit and vegetables as a result of the safefood ‘Superfoods’ TV advertising campaign* while 76% of parents stated they would try to eat more fruit and vegetables themselves, from now on.

Dr. Cliodhna Foley Nolan, safefood said,

“ Our research has shown that parents are becoming engaged about healthy eating and that the message is getting through to them to encourage their children to eat healthier foods. Getting children to eat leaner meat, increase their intake of fruit and vegetables and choose wholegrains, all of which are everyday foods that are easy to access, can be a challenge for parents which is why this new phase of the ‘Superfoods’ campaign is targeting children directly, in a fun and colourful comic format they will enjoy."

safefood launched the third phase of its ‘Superfoods’ campaign earlier today, Monday, 17th September. The campaign is designed to reinforce the benefits of eating everyday foods and this phase will communicate with parents and children while they are in the supermarket and choosing their food. An in-store team will feature a qualified nutritionist to provide practical advice for parents on healthy eating for children and a life-size ‘Superfood’ character. As well as advice, the team will be distributing free comics for children and long-life shopping bags for parents carrying the ‘Superfood’ messages. The activity will take place in selected supermarkets on the island of Ireland over a four week period from 19th September 2007.

" We want to make it easier for parents to include lean meat, fruit, vegetables and wholegrains in their child’s diet, by providing them with tools that will engage and appeal to their children. Only 20% of adults on the island of Ireland eat their recommended ‘five a day’, and consumption by children is particularly low. safefood qualified nutritionists will be on hand in the participating stores to advise parents on any questions they may have about everyday ‘Superfoods’ or including them in their child’s diet”, added Dr. Foley-Nolan.

The innovative comic targets children aged 6-9, and brings the ‘Superfoods’ characters from the TV advertising campaign to life in a series of stories appealing to young children. The comic entitled ‘Adventures with Superfoods’, contains games, cartoons, stickers and poster as well as lots of tips for parents on how to incorporate ‘Superfoods’ into their child’s diet.

The launch of the in-store activity coincides with the launch of a new section on the safefood website, www.safefood.eu. Titled the ‘Superfoods HQ’, this features all the ‘Superfoods’ characters from the TV advertising campaign living together in the same house, with interactive games and dowloads, fun food facts and a ‘Lunchbox Menu Generator’ which demonstrates how easily the ‘Superfoods’ can be part of a child’s lunchbox. The ‘Superfoods’ will also be featured in another round of TV advertising during the in-store and online activity.

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. The views stated in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by safeFood (Ireland) on 17 September 2007 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please visit their website using the link below.