Peas Sir, can I have some more?

As a long-term 5 A DAY partner, the Processed Vegetable Growers’ Association (PVGA) is proud to support and be associated with the 5 A DAY Just Eat More (fruit and veg) programme, writes the PVGA’s Tim Mudge.

Healthy eating forms an integral and ongoing part of the PVGA’s Yes Peas campaign ethos. Since its inception in 2001, the campaign has gone from strength to strength, most recently winning Consumer Marketing Campaign of the Year at The Grower Awards in February 2007. The aim of Yes Peas! is to raise the profile of the pea in consumer press and media in Britain, with the purpose of increasing overall consumption of frozen peas. As such, our link with 5 A DAY and the use of its logo is an invaluable tool for the campaign.

Emphasis on healthy eating and nutrition in the press is growing rapidly, and with good reason. The 5 A DAY programme is continually pushing for greater awareness of the importance of a healthy diet.

Indeed, significant developments in healthy eating are planned for Yes Peas! in 2007-08, details of which are yet to be announced. Historically, this has been a subject at the heart of the campaign. From 2002 to 2005, Yes Peas! supported the Grab 5! School Menu Challenge, which saw secondary school students creating a menu for a primary school lunch using the magic five portions of fruit and vegetables, including peas, as ingredients. The challenge ran nationwide, with regional heats culminating in a grand final, and proved to be a great success.

Top celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson declared: “The Grab 5! School Menu Challenge is a great way of getting children to think healthily about their food. We need to get children having a good time in the kitchen and cooking properly, rather than reaching for the nearest junk food.”

The health benefits of peas haven’t just been targeted at children; last year, a pea detox diet was devised by nutritionist Gillian Key, using a series of recipes developed by Rachel Green. Green also brought peas to the people with a series of lively demonstrations at the BBC Good Food Show, highlighting the versatility, convenience and nutritional benefits of the vegetable. The public were able to visit the Yes Peas! stand at the show, sampling thousands of ‘pea shots’ and getting the opportunity to talk to the growers directly.

The Yes Peas! campaign has already enjoyed great success, and the PVGA is hoping that collaboration with the 5 A DAY programme will prove more fruitful.

Initially, 5 A DAY concentrated on why people need to eat more fruit and vegetables. However, the next step is to show people exactly how they can eat 5 A DAY.

PVGA hopes that its own campaigns may go some way to achieving this, especially as they are consumer- and recipe- based.