50,000 Veg Power Billboards Arrive in the UK to Promote Healthier Diets

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has joined forces with the Peas Please initiative to get the UK excited about eating veg.

Today, a giant carrot ad will be displayed on the Edinburgh City Chambers in an attempt to kickstart the Veg Ad Fund. This is just one of 50,000 locations expected to carry the ad. Fearnley-Whittingstall, who recently released an all-vegan cookbook, claims that the nation needs to get excited about eating veg again, in order to create healthy eating habits.

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,’ said the chef. Adding, ‘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.’

According to Pea Please £296.6 million is spent in the UK every year on confectionary, snacks, fruit and veg, and soft drinks, but only 5% of this money is spent on produce. Food Standards Scotland is backing the initiative, with spokesperson Heather Peace saying ‘We’re happy to help fund the Peas Please initiative in Scotland which is designed to encourage us all to eat more vegetables. This is especially important as we only average around three portions of fruit and veg each day in Scotland, when we should be eating at least five.’


Image credit: Food Foundation