Green Giant Launches Campaign to Help Americans 'Get Their Greens'
MINNEAPOLIS -- In response to the recently-released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Green Giant is launching a Web-based initiative, called "Mix-Up Dinner: Get Your Greens!", to help families increase their daily vegetable intake.
The new Dietary Guidelines recommend that the average adult eat 2 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups (five to 13 servings) of fruits and vegetables each day, an increase from the previously recommended 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups (five to nine servings). Yet, according to the Green Giant Vegetable Report, 70 percent of parents and more than three-quarters of moms say their families don't get enough vegetables in their diets.
The Green Giant Vegetable Report, based on a Harris Interactive survey of parents with children 18 and under, also found that parents were confused about what made up a serving size and how many servings young children need daily. More than half didn't know that one serving of cooked vegetables was 1/2 cup, and nearly a quarter said they had no idea of the recommended number of servings of vegetables for a young child (age 2-6).
"Our survey recorded eating habits before the new guidelines were released," says Andy Dahlen, marketing manager for Green Giant. "So with the increased recommendations, it's even more important to educate parents and encourage them to get more vegetables into their diet, as they are an important influence on their children's eating habits and can help form life-long healthy food patterns."
With the "Mix-Up Dinner: Get Your Greens!" initiative, families are encouraged to take part in activities at www.greengiant.com, and commit to consume more vegetables on a daily basis.
Specific features at the Web site to help families reach this goal include:
-- Veggie IQ Quiz, which invites visitors to test their vegetable knowledge about serving sizes and health benefits in a short, interactive quiz. As an incentive, Green Giant will award gift packs each month through April to 25 randomly selected individuals who complete the quiz.
-- Get Your Greens! Family Meal Commitment, which encourages visitors to sign a family meal commitment whereby families will take a pledge to get their daily vegetables together and commit to making a change for at least one week. It also includes an attractive printable checklist that families can post on their refrigerator to help track their daily vegetable goals for one week.
-- Mix-Up Dinner Recipes, which features balanced meal ideas and a variety of fun and delicious ways for families to easily get some of their daily "greens" servings.
While most Green Giant frozen vegetables carry an on-pack nutrition claim, "Frozen Vegetables Are As Nutritious As Fresh!" the company will this month begin featuring specific nutrient benefits in the upper right corner of each package to help consumers better understand the nutritional offerings of each Green Giant variety.
The brand is also reducing the sodium content in some of its products, including popular broccoli and cheese.
The new Dietary Guidelines recommend that the average adult eat 2 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups (five to 13 servings) of fruits and vegetables each day, an increase from the previously recommended 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups (five to nine servings). Yet, according to the Green Giant Vegetable Report, 70 percent of parents and more than three-quarters of moms say their families don't get enough vegetables in their diets.
The Green Giant Vegetable Report, based on a Harris Interactive survey of parents with children 18 and under, also found that parents were confused about what made up a serving size and how many servings young children need daily. More than half didn't know that one serving of cooked vegetables was 1/2 cup, and nearly a quarter said they had no idea of the recommended number of servings of vegetables for a young child (age 2-6).
"Our survey recorded eating habits before the new guidelines were released," says Andy Dahlen, marketing manager for Green Giant. "So with the increased recommendations, it's even more important to educate parents and encourage them to get more vegetables into their diet, as they are an important influence on their children's eating habits and can help form life-long healthy food patterns."
With the "Mix-Up Dinner: Get Your Greens!" initiative, families are encouraged to take part in activities at www.greengiant.com, and commit to consume more vegetables on a daily basis.
Specific features at the Web site to help families reach this goal include:
-- Veggie IQ Quiz, which invites visitors to test their vegetable knowledge about serving sizes and health benefits in a short, interactive quiz. As an incentive, Green Giant will award gift packs each month through April to 25 randomly selected individuals who complete the quiz.
-- Get Your Greens! Family Meal Commitment, which encourages visitors to sign a family meal commitment whereby families will take a pledge to get their daily vegetables together and commit to making a change for at least one week. It also includes an attractive printable checklist that families can post on their refrigerator to help track their daily vegetable goals for one week.
-- Mix-Up Dinner Recipes, which features balanced meal ideas and a variety of fun and delicious ways for families to easily get some of their daily "greens" servings.
While most Green Giant frozen vegetables carry an on-pack nutrition claim, "Frozen Vegetables Are As Nutritious As Fresh!" the company will this month begin featuring specific nutrient benefits in the upper right corner of each package to help consumers better understand the nutritional offerings of each Green Giant variety.
The brand is also reducing the sodium content in some of its products, including popular broccoli and cheese.