Birds Eye, Disney to Promote Healthy Eating Directly to Kids

Birds Eye frozen vegetables, owned by Pinnacle Foods, announced they will team up with Disney to work to increase the number of kids consuming the recommended amount of vegetables per day by directly engaging and educating them on the importance of vegetables in a well-balanced diet. Following the kick-off of Birds Eye's Step Up To The Plate program, Birds Eye and Disney will introduce a multi-platform sponsorship that promotes vegetables and the benefits they provide. It is anticipated that the initiative will also include a Disney Consumer Products component that will showcase characters on Birds Eye packaging. The collaboration between Disney and Birds Eye will be brought to life this summer through Disney's kid and tween targeted media platforms, helping to give veggies an image makeover in the eyes of children. The Birds Eye Step Up To The Plate program aligns with Disney's Magic of Healthy Living initiative and integrates Birds Eye into program sponsorships and "Disney's Magic of Healthy Living TRYathlon Road Tour" scheduled for August and September 2014. It will also engage Disney Channel and Disney XD stars for a cross-platform sweepstakes. Together, Birds Eye and Disney will show kids that veggies can be both fun and delicious by encouraging them to explore new healthy foods. "Moms know veggies are healthy and that her family needs to eat more of them," says Mark Schiller, executive vice president and president, Birds Eye Frozen Division at Pinnacle Foods. "Our job is to help make it easy for her to do just that. Having Disney Step Up To The Plate with us furthers our ability to inspire children to like veggies for life." Rita Ferro, executive vice president, Disney Media Sales and Marketing, says, "Disney has a time-honored commitment to entertaining kids and families, and that commitment extends to supporting parents in raising healthy, happy kids. This new initiative with Birds Eye proves that doing the right thing for kids is also a smart strategy for our business." Today, only 10 percent of U.S. children are eating the proper amount of vegetables, as detailed in the USDA's MyPlate guidelines. Birds Eye's mission is to help kids eat more vegetables. Through Step Up To The Plate, Birds Eye is dedicated to achieving the long-term goal of increasing the number of children in America who meet the proper nutrition guidelines, say company officials. While recent reports show that the obesity rate in 2-5 year olds is declining, the number of elementary-age children who are overweight or obese remains unchanged at a staggering 17 percent. Step Up To The Plate is a long-term investment platform for Birds Eye dedicated to closing the nutrition gap in America by motivating kids to eat more veggies. "Selling veggies is both our passion and our business," Schiller elaborated. "We want to make an impact on the health of our future generation. As pioneers in this industry, we feel it's our responsibility to do so."