’Get the Edge. Eat More Veg’ sees regional health services and vegetable industry team up to tackle vegetable consumption
A new highly visible public campaign has been launched in Gippsland, encouraging people in the region to ‘Get the Veg Edge’ by eating more vegetables every day.
Ausveg, the national peak industry body representing Australian vegetable growers, has joined forces with the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit (GRPHU) and Food & Fibre Gippsland (F&F Gippsland), to deliver ’Get the Edge. Eat More Veg’ - a new positive behaviour change campaign encouraging people across Gippsland to eat more vegetables.
Research underpinning the campaign found that while Australians are aware of the importance of healthy eating, vegetable consumption remains low, with life and cost-of-living pressures making it even harder for people to prioritise vegetables. Only around six per cent of the Gippsland community consumes the five recommended daily serves of vegetables.
Rather than focusing solely on the long-term health benefits of eating vegetables, Get the Edge. Eat More Veg highlights the everyday benefits that all Australians need – from powering energy, boosting mood and fuelling focus, to balancing gut and helping skin glow. The campaign is brought to Gippsland by the newly developed Australian Vegetables brand, which celebrates and showcases the seasonal fresh produce that growers provide Australians each and every day.
The campaign launched across Gippsland on 24 August and features prominent outdoor signage and messaging, with placements spanning billboards and bus panels, as well as digital screens in shopping malls, community-based venues and facilities. A Get the Edge. Eat More Veg branded car will also tour the Gippsland region, raising further awareness. Outdoor and social media will direct consumers to a website to highlight the everyday benefits of eating more vegetables and share easy ways to boost intake through clever hacks, tips and recipes.
The behaviour change campaign and branding have been developed by Plus One Serve, the Ausveg-led national evidence-based programme powered by Hort Innovation, designed to encourage Australians to eat one additional daily serve of vegetables by 2030. In alignment with the Gippsland Population Health Strategy 2024-2029, the GRPHU is supporting this regional campaign, which will proudly feature ‘Healthy Gippsland’ partner branding alongside the ‘Gippsland Trusted’ brand that has been developed by Food & Fibre Gippsland. ‘Healthy Gippsland’ is a regional movement bringing organisations, communities and partners together to improve health and wellbeing across Gippsland.
To mark their commitment to improving daily vegetable consumption, GRPHU and F&F Gippsland have signed the Plus One Serve Pledge for More Veg. Together they are encouraging individuals, educators, institutions, health sector organisations, government and community groups across the region to join them in taking practical steps to increase vegetable consumption across Australia.
“The daily vegetable consumption of Australians is alarmingly low, and in Gippsland people are eating just 1.6 serves a day on average. Australians understand that vegetables are good for their health. The challenge is giving people a reason to eat more of them today. Our research tells us that the everyday benefits of veggies – more energy, better focus, mood and wellbeing – can be powerful motivators for behaviour change,” said Plus One Serve managing director Justine Coates.
“Get the Edge. Eat More Veg brings these benefits to life in a way that drives high taste appeal and shows people the simple, achievable ways to add more veg to their day. Gippsland is an ideal region to put this approach into action.”
Ausveg CEO Michael Coote said Gippsland was an area close heart of the vegetable industry.
“Gippsland is proudly one of Australia’s major vegetable-growing regions, and growers here are crucial to economies, communities and food security. Like most Australians, people in Gippsland aren’t eating enough vegetables which isn’t just bad for health, but bad for vegetable growers. Across Gippsland and the country vegetable growers are facing severe economic and operating challenges, and low consumption only adds to the pressure,” he said.
“Getting more Aussies eating more Aussie-grown vegetables helps secure a more viable future for the national industry that we depend on to supply 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce into the domestic market each day, with 98 percent of the fresh vegetables consumed nationally grown here in Australia. Ausveg is proud to be launching this campaign with partner organisations because it backs Gippsland, backs Aussie growers, and secures the industry’s future.”
Gippsland Region Public Health Unit director, Annelies Titulaer added: “Only around six per cent of people in Gippsland are eating the recommended five serves of vegetables each day. That tells us we have a real opportunity to make a difference. As the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit, we are proud to launch the Get the Edge. Eat More Veg campaign because improving healthy eating is an important part of everyday wellness and improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
”We want to make eating more vegetables feel achievable, enjoyable and relevant to everyday life. By working with our Gippsland partners, we can take a coordinated approach to encouraging people to add more vegetables to their meals and build healthier habits that last.”
