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Number 6/2017 – 21st of December 2017
Note from the editor: Ho ho ho!
Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas! These last two months have been a busy period for most in fruit and vegetables. Luckily the festive season is fast approaching and soon everyone will be able to sit back, put their feet up and tuck in to some delicious and nutritious winter fruit and vegetable dishes! This season we’ve noticed an abundance of horticultural decorations, which look good enough to eat! There’s also been a craze for showcasing specific products, making sure that consumers, young and old, know their taste, flavours and smells and how to incorporate them into their lifestyle to maintain a healthy diet. We’ll be watching closely into the new year to see what new and inspiring promotion campaigns are launched across Europe and globally. Don’t forget to show us your creative and festive horticultural cooking and decorating on social media using #FruitVeg4You! We want to see it all! Merry Christmas!
The UK: Vegetable Christmas decorations
This festive season we’ve seen fruit and vegetables in some unlikely places, including being used as part of the season’s decorations themselves! To entice your guests into your home for some healthy Christmas food, this year you can purchase a healthy, green Christmas wreath decorated with an abundance of Brussels sprouts! Worried that someone might think it looks too tasty and might take a nibble before they’ve entered your house? You can also use the sprout wreaths as a centre piece to decorate your Christmas table! But once the wreaths’ decorative purposes are achieved, don’t forget to create a delicious and nutritious festive dish out of them! Here are some different recipe options to get you thinking. If you miss out on this limited edition wreath, why not make one of your own using sprouts and other seasonal products such as clementines? Get creative and don’t forget to involve your children in the horticulture Christmas decorating!
Global: Tropical pineapple Christmas trees
There’s a new Christmas tree in town this year and it’s not green, six feet tall and has lots of spiky needles. No, it’s not a different on-trend tree species…it’s a….yes you guessed it…the beautiful, healthy and nutritious pineapple! The Christmas pineapple tree is a welcome addition in many people’s homes across Europe and globally this year. For those who don’t have room for a giant, pine needle covered Christmas tree, the Christmas pineapple tree is for you! Small sized, portable and Christmas decoration-friendly, the Christmas pineapple tree is perfect for those looking to celebrate the season’s festivities in a creative way, while at the same time celebrating what the horticultural sector has to offer. For all those who are celebrating the festive season at their office desk, the Christmas pineapple tree is a handy addition to any sized office space – there also won’t be any stray pine needles to clean up from in between the paperwork!
Romania: Fill up on orange juice!
Missing that zest for life that you normally have over the summer months? Never fear! You can simply get your winter zest from a glass of Orange Fresh freshly squeezed orange juice! Orange Fresh vending machines are available in 75 locations across Bucharest! In office buildings, hospitals, parks, shops, schools and universities, freshly squeezed orange juice is available at the push of a button. Each serving of juice is served in a recyclable and biodegradable carton or glass, and the juicy and sweet oranges used are specially selected and hand-checked for freshness and sampled in every batch. You can even watch your oranges being squeezed while waiting for your fresh juice! By the end of 2018 Orange Fresh hopes to have freshly squeezed orange juice available in over 150 locations in Romania – keep your eyes peeled for a new location near you and you’ll never be without a bit of zest in your life ever again!
The UK: Nothing beats a Christmas carrot!
This Christmas, Kevin the Carrot, his wife Katie the Carrot and their three Carrot kids are showing customers across the UK how to celebrate Christmas, the carrot way. From a blossoming love story to a burgeoning family, Kevin and Katie are always on a culinary adventure to demonstrate the diversity of food available to make everyone’s festive meals that extra little bit special. Katie even has her own dedicated Kitchen where you’ll find delicious recipes featuring seasonal vegetables for your Christmas dinner! Can’t get enough of casanova Kevin the Carrot? You can even purchase a Kevin the Carrot shopping bag, so that every time you go to purchase your fruit and vegetables you don’t have to use plastic bags! And don’t get us started on the Carrot family toys – they’re sure to get your children excited about healthy and nutritious Christmas recipes full of different characters from the fruit and vegetable families!
The Netherlands: Choose colour!
Bored with the same meals you cook every week? Choose colour! Ga voor kleur is the initiative of the Dutch government and GroetenFruitHuis in cooperation with agricultural business partners to encourage Dutch consumers to choose colour and creativity in their meals. The campaign is all about giving colour to your lifestyle and making your meals, whether they’re eaten at home, at the office or out and about, colourful, exciting and nutritious! In order to add colour to your plate, as the campaign suggests, all you need to do is add fruits and vegetables which are available in a wide array of colours, textures and tastes! Over the next three years, the campaign hopes to inspire fruit and vegetable consumption in the Netherlands, and teach people that incorporating colourful fruit and vegetables in your meals is easy, delicious and nutritious! Curious to see what colours you can choose? Watch the campaign video in English or Dutch and learn and how to choose colour!
France: Display competition
This year Interfel with the support of CTIFL, organised “Talents des fruits et legumes”. This competition honours the know-how and professionalism of the actors in the horticulture sector, with the aim of the competition being to showcase fresh produce to the public. This year there were two categories for participants to enter, a supermarket category and a freshly picked category. There were two stages of the competition, the first being the selection of regional winners in September and subsequently the selection of overall national winners. This year the national freshly picked winner was Jacoulot Primeur in Morteau, and the prize for the national supermarket winner was shared by Super U Hague, Stakes and Super U Soual. The participants were judged on the attractiveness of the showcase, the staging of the products, the demonstration of seasonal products, the quality and freshness of the products, information provided for consumers and the dramatization of the showcase as a whole. See examples of the “Talents des fruits et legumes” here.
Poland: Knowledge in the palm of your hands
How do you encourage children to adopt good and healthy eating habits? The Polish National Centre for Nutrition and the Polish Nutrition Institute have developed a solution! An app for children and youth called “Zdrowie” (Health). The app comprises of a game that encourages regular consumption of fruit and vegetables and water, as well as physical activity. Users of the app build a city, including vegetation and services, however in order to continually develop the city users need a supply of resources, which are awarded in energy points and coins. To get these rewards, users must comply with a healthy diet and engage in physical activity. Information on different fruits and vegetables is also available to users of the app, which adds an educational element to the game. The nutrition and exercise recommendations included in the game are also in accordance with the recommendations of the Polish Institute of Food and Nutrition.
Italy: From Mount Etna to your plate
Ever wondered how perfect, sweet, juicy oranges end up on your plate? Now children in Italy can learn about how Italian citrus fruits move along the supply chain through the educational campaign kit “The Orange Garden”. Made by Oranfrizer, the campaign consists of an educational campaign kit that allows primary school children in years 3 to 5 to explore Italian citrus production as well as its role in good health and nutrition practices. The campaign specifically focuses on the supply chain from orange blossom to fruit maturation, and allows school children to focus on the culture of eating Sicilian citrus fruits, including their flavours, colours and aromas. Many interactive activities are included in the campaign kit, such as Vitamin C domino and flip books, where each activity creates an opportunity for school children to connect with and learn about nature. Teachers can also download fairy tales, videos, recipes and more! Join the campaign here.
Germany: Projects to eat better
In 2013 the German Rheinland Pfalz state government established a campaign “Rheinland Pfalz eats better”, which is still running today. Incorporating a large range of projects, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy diet and the value of food and nutrition. The campaign additionally promotes the use or regional and organic products. More than 20 projects are part of the campaign, which all target different groups. For example “Food – too good for the bin”, which contains tips and information about food waste. Another one of the projects, called “Sustainable design of nutrition: What is our food worth to us?”, is for school children, and aims to sensitize pupils to the value of food products. This project is also one of four awareness-raising projects part of the federal initiative “Lebensmittel Wertschätzen” (Value Food). The other projects are “Appreciate food more – reduce food losses”, “The Cooking Bus” and the Rheinland Pflaz nutrition consultation promotion.
Spain: Broccoli for everyone!
Do you like broccoli? The Spanish +Broccoli collective has launched a campaign across Spanish supermarkets to promote the consumption of broccoli. 10,000 broccoli points of sale will be available across supermarkets and fruit stores in Spain until the 10 December – this totals a million pieces of broccoli on sale to consumers! The broccoli will be displayed with healthy messages, such as “Enjoy it + healthy”, as well as special labelling promoting the nutrition benefits of eating broccoli. Over two weeks different activities will also be carried out at the 10,000 sales points, where consumers can interact with the broccoli on sale through social media. Namely, participants will be able to upload photographs of themselves with broccoli accompanied by a specific hashtag. The six best images will win two nights for two people at the Parador de Lorca, a gastronomic experience at Sale Cristóbal and two relaxation treatments, and two tablets. What are you waiting for? Go get your broccoli!
The Netherlands: National Apple Picking Day
In September it was “Landelijke Appelplukdag” (National Apple Picking Day) in the Netherlands. Each year in September, dozens of fruit growers across the Netherlands open their orchards to the public so that everyone can experience fruit picking! Landelijke Appelplukdag let’s everyone, whether young and old, to pick apples, and often pears as well, on a healthy and fun day. On the dedicated website, you can see which open farms are closest to you, including opening hours and cycling routes in case you want to make the day out even healthier by incorporating some physical activity! Entrance is always free, and after you’ve picked your fill of apples you can relax in the farm and taste some local recipes using the freshly picked products. If your children still need some more entertainment, many of the farms also provide rides through their orchards on their picking trains! Keep your apple picking basket safe, ready for the 2018 Landelijke Appelplukdag!