Vegetables need to be made sexy and fashionable in the UK, according to the Brassica Growers' Association (BGA).

Speaking at this week's Brassica Conference, BGA spokesman Alex Bingham said the UK should take a leaf out of Denmark's book when promoting fresh produce.

He cited a recent Danish advertising campaign that featured an image of a couple made of fruit and vegetables having sex, with the strapline 'six times a day'. The promotion boosted fresh produce sales by 16 per cent (FPJ, January 4).

'I don't believe for one minute that we could use such a campaign in the UK,' he said, 'but there are opportunities that we could take advantage of. For example, take a look at this photo of Amanda Holden which appeared in the media last week. Who in the industry is taking advantage of this?' Bingham went on to outline the association's long-term brassica campaign, which launched at the BBC Good Food Show in November last year.

'The objectives of the campaign are very simple, we would have an umbrella campaign promoting brassica 12 months of the year,' he said. 'The campaign slogan is eat green, a clean and simple campaign which speaks for itself.' Bingham added the campaign had already generated a lot of support from 'large players in the industry', as well as celebrity chefs, but that it would only work if everyone in the sector worked together.

The Brassica conference took place on January 16 at HRI Wellesbourne in Warwickshire.

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