Veg Power targets breakfast occasions

Veg Power, the UK non-profit campaign group behind Eat Them To Defeat Them and Attack The Snack, has turned its attention to the so-called “most important meal of the day”.

Its new social media and digital campaign, Breakfast in Colour, launches in May, with the aim of encouraging “fresher, healthier and more colourful” breakfasts, championing the inclusion of fruit, vegetables and beans.

“When it comes to breakfast, many of the UK are creatures of habit, reaching for the same options on a daily basis,” Veg Power stated. “Toast, porridge and cereal dominate the nation’s mornings – eaten by two out of three people every day – which is not surprising given the breakfast cereal market alone is worth approximately £3bn a year. In comparison, fruit only makes it into 6 per cent of breakfasts while vegetables and beans feature rarely.”

A Veg Power survey revealed that breakfast is frequently overlooked as a meal to incorporate vegetables, with 73 per cent having rarely or never eaten them at breakfast. “These findings together suggest that breakfast is a missed opportunity for achieving our five-a-day target,” the group concluded.

For its first year, the Breakfast In Colour campaign will focus on the weekend, when breakfast can be less of a rush. 

“The aim is to bring families together around simple, colourful dishes that are as enjoyable to make as they are to eat,” Veg Power stated. 

The campaign is set to showcase a range of colourful, easy to prepare dishes, from vegetable omelettes and huevos rancheros to bean burritos, pancakes, yoghurt, fruit bowls and veg on toast.

Dan Parker, chief executive at Veg Power, commented: “We believe that breakfast is a huge opportunity for growth for fruit, veg and beans, while improving the nation’s diet due to their vitamins, minerals and fibre content. Too many of us are starting the day with something quick, beige and forgettable, when it could so easily be something fresher, more nourishing and a lot more colourful.”