Walmart Canada launches Half Your Plate program

Walmart Canada has joined the new healthy eating campaign, Half Your Plate. An initiative of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), Half Your Plate empowers Canadians of all ages to eat more fruits and veggies to improve their health while providing simple and practical ways to add a variety of produce to every meal and snack. After a successful launch on social media this summer, Half Your Plate is now making its way onto produce packaging and into retail stores across Canada.

“We are excited to be the first major retailer to promote Half Your Plate in our stores and flyers,” said Sam Silvestro, Senior Director, Fresh Foods, Walmart Canada. “We believe that healthy eating starts with getting enough servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and Half Your Plate provides an easy message for consumers to understand and keep in mind when doing their grocery shopping.”
“Rather than having people count servings or worry about serving size, our messaging is that at every meal, make half your plate fruit and vegetables. By the end of the day, you’ll have your recommended number of servings,” said Ron Lemaire, President, CPMA. “That also translates when you’re at the grocery store. Half your cart should be fruit and veggies, and having retailers promote the campaign re-emphasizes the importance of making healthier choices at the store.”
Half Your Plate offers a simple, consistent way to help consumers navigate the many different messages they hear each day about healthy eating. “It can be a bit confusing for some consumers to know what makes up a healthy meal,” added Lemaire. “What we hear most from consumers is that they’re struggling with what a serving is in a lot of instances and are looking for ways to make healthy choices fast, easy and affordable.”

Although Canadians are becoming more conscious of what they eat, studies show that the average person only consumes 3.5-4.5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Yet Canada’s Food Guide recommends that adults get 7-10 servings per day, depending on gender. Half Your Plate encourages people to take it one meal at a time, analyzing the make-up of their plate rather than specific servings that can be confusing to many.

The Half Your Plate campaign was developed in collaboration with health partners the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Public Health Association, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. More information can be found at www.halfyourplate.ca or by following @halfyourplate on Twitter, facebook, or Pinterest. Other Canadian retailers will also be using the campaign in store in the coming months.