This week Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), the premier national nonprofit working toward food equity, has launched a campaign focused on ensuring kids get Veggies Early and Often (VEO), partnering with four nutritionists and nutritious food influencers to raise awareness of the initiative. Alongside this campaign partners are championing a bold new commitment: adding 1 million servings of vegetables through veggie-forward products in 2024. The campaign aims to make a real impact on the baby and toddler food industry, ensuring a future filled with nutritious choices and adventurous eaters.
PHA’s partners Happy Family Organics, Serenity Kids, Lil’ Gourmets, Nurture Life, Square Baby, Yumi, Tiny Organics, and Small Bites Adventure Club have joined forces for this bold commitment and are working to expand their product lines to include more veggie-forward products.
“We are so passionate about the work that PHA is spearheading on Veggies Early and Often,” said Shibani Baluja, Founder of Lil’ Gourmets. “The research that VEO is based on is the same research that led me to launch Lil’ Gourmets. As a mom, I saw how hard it was to find convenient veggie-rich products for my kids and saw how many parents were having that same struggle. With our fresh, veggie-rich global meals, we strive to inspire healthy and adventurous eating and change veggies from something we HAVE to eat to something we LOVE to eat! We are so grateful to be alongside PHA and other brands that are helping to share this important research that will have a meaningful impact on kids’ health.”
Veggies Early and Often approved products or menu items contain over 50% vegetables and no additives. Currently, over 150 products from seven different companies meet those requirements, which are based on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Additionally, two national early childhood education centers have collectively reformulated 39 of their menu items to meet the icon’s requirements.
The campaign also features nutritionists and healthy food influencers Marina Chapparo, Amy Palanjian, Alicia ‘Chacha’ Miller and Dani Lebovitz. They’ll be featuring nutrition tips and fun eating tricks to encourage young eaters and their parents and caregivers to make vegetables a core part of young eaters’ diets and to increase awareness of the Veggies Early and Often initiative.
“Babies need a balanced diet with protein, fats, and carbs for their growing bodies and brains, and Serenity Kids is on a critical mission to revolutionize children’s nutrition,” said Serenity Carr, Co-Founder & CEO of Serenity Kids. “We make it easier for parents to know that their children are getting all the nutrients they need when they reach for one of our products.”
According to a recent PHA and partner survey of parents, 94% of parents say it is very important to them to raise an adventurous eater who learns to enjoy vegetables. Additionally, 99% of parents are looking to food companies to support their efforts in raising healthy eaters.
Parent and caregiver efforts to provide veggie-forward diets to young children can either be supported or hampered by offerings in the baby and toddler food marketplace. The campaign aims to increase the amount of products offering nutritious options while helping parents and caregivers understand why introducing their children to veggies at an early age is instrumental in creating a lifetime of health.
