Dole bananas Disney Beauty and the Beast

The Walt Disney Company and Dole Food Company are continuing their multi-year healthy living initiative with the release of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, featuring consumer promotions, digital integrations, in-store activities and Disney-branded fruits and vegetables.

The ongoing collaboration serves as part of a nutrition alliance aimed at helping parents encourage their children and families to make healthier food choices, and was formally launched last autumn with a successful campaign around Disney’s Moana.

The latest promotion, Disney Beauty and the Beast, features Belle, Beast, Lumiere and other characters on Dole Bananas, Pineapples and salads, and will continue through 16 April. These characters also serve as the inspiration for a host of healthy recipes, serving suggestions and nutrition tips.

“Disney and Dole are working together to give parents high-quality, nutritional food options that make it easier for families to make healthy choices.” said John King, vice president-licensing, Disney Consumables. 'The new programme will combine Disney's characters and stories with Dole's fruits and vegetables to help inform and inspire families to live healthier.'

“As one of the world’s foremost nutrition leaders, Dole is committed to the idea that the best stories begin with healthy eating,” added Bil Goldfield, director of communications for the Dole Food Company. “We’re delighted to work with Disney to make fruits and vegetables more accessible – and fun – for families in North America and around the world, by sharing our nutrition messages through their iconic characters and transforming our collective healthy living commitments into lasting, positive change for future generations.”

Disney and Dole will also debut healthy living programmes themed to Disney-Pixar’s Cars 3 this summer and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi later this year. This mission seeks to help change daily eating habits, one meal at a time, to create a lasting impact for families in the US and Canada.

Last year’s dual-branded announcement at the 2016 Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention in October promised the launch of an assortment of fresh Dole produce featuring iconic Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel characters at grocery and retail stores nationwide.